A Chester County man wanted for murder threatened cops with a gun, sparking a standoff, DA says

A Parkesburg resident who fatally shot a man during an argument early Thursday turned the gun on an officer investigating the shooting, sparking an hour-long standoff at a home in Coatesville, prosecutors said Friday

Stephen Young, 39, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon and charged with first- and third-degree murder in the death of Warren Curtis, as well as aggravated assault and gun offenses for the standoff with the officers.

Young remained in custody, denied bail due to the nature of his charges. There was no indication Friday that he had hired an attorney.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan called the killing of Curtis, 40, a “senseless tragedy” and praised the “incredible professionalism” of the officers who took Young into custody without injury.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” Ryan said. “We will do everything we can to secure justice, and we thank the dozens of police officers who helped safely and swiftly arrest the defendant in this case.”

Officers responding to reports of gunfire found Curtis collapsed in front of a deli on Lincoln Highway near Seventh Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Young’s arrest. Curtis had been shot multiple times, and was pronounced dead about an hour later at Brandywine Hospital.

Around the corner, on Seventh, detectives found 9mm shell casings on the porch of the home Curtis shared with his girlfriend, and recovered surveillance footage from a nearby camera that showed a man matching Curtis’ description being chased away from the home by a man in dark clothing.

Witnesses told police they saw Young chase Curtis down the block, holding a gun. Other neighbors saw him return to Curtis’ home later that morning carrying a 9mm handgun, the affidavit said.

When officers went to speak with Young, he refused to leave the porch in front of Curtis’ home, pointed a handgun at one of the officers, and ran inside.

More than 30 officers surrounded Curtis’ home, and Young surrendered about an hour later, police said. Investigators recovered the pistol they say was used in the shooting, which Young was not legally able to carry because of a conviction on felony drug charges, according to the affidavit.

The gun in question, a Sig Sauer, was reported missing from a home in Alabama.

In an interview with county detectives, Young said he knew Curtis through his niece, who was pregnant with Curtis’ child, the affidavit said. Young told the investigators that he was unhappy with the way Curtis was treating his niece, and that Curtis had been “after him.”

“I was exhausted, and he had access to everywhere I laid my head at,” Young told investigators, according to the affidavit. “He is dead for a reason and played a part in my life being threatened.”