Shooter Gets 30 to 60 Years In Prison For Fatal Strip Club Shooting In Morrisville
Pedro E. Rodriguez, 29, of Trenton NJ Will be in state prison in Pennsylvania for the next 30 to 60 years for the fatal shooting of Mekhi Norman who was trying to help bouncers at the On the Border strip club on Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville. This happened Aug 29,2024.
Police said that Rodriguez was seen on video walking to his car, getting a gun, racking a round in the chamber and then firing that gun into the club, which was occupied by 17 people at the time. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of an instrument of crime, and four counts of recklessly endangering another person as part of a negotiated sentence to get no more than 60 years.
The courtroom was filled with emotional testimony as Deputy District Attorney David O’Beirne read victim impact statements from Norman’s family and friends. His grandmother shared that he had a smile for everyone while his aunt lamented the loss of a young man whose life was just beginning, and friends described him as being practically family to them. His mother, who read her impact statement in court, called her son a “gentle giant” with an enormous smile and personality to match. His stepmother said that Rodriguez’s reckless behavior “will leave a hole in our family for the rest of our lives.”
Rodriguez ran away and went to Trenton NJ, but returned later that day to face charges. He was trying to assist his nephew who was being physically thrown out of the club. , That male, 22-year-old Kevin Perez of Trenton, entered a guilty plea last year to several counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment for assaulting staff just before the shooting erupted. He was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility, followed by a year of probation.