Strip club shooter sentenced for killing a Good Samaritan, prosecutors say
Norman was helping club staff following an altercation, when Rodriguez shot into the building
A Trenton man faces up to 60 years in Pennsylvania state prison for fatally shooting a bystander at a Morrisville strip club.
On Friday, Pedro E. Rodriguez, 29, 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 for the murder of 28-year-old Mekhi Norman in August 2024.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Norman was shot at a Morrisville nightclub while acting as a Good Samaritan. He didn’t know Rodriguez, but was helping the club’s staff following an altercation at the doorway.
Surveillance video shown during the sentencing hearing shows Rodriguez walking to his car, getting a handgun, loading it, and returning to the club, according to a district attorney’s office statement. Then, he fired into the building as security staff were attempting to remove his nephew, according to the statement.
Norman, who was helping the staff when he was shot, was struck in the back of the head, left thigh, and under both armpits, as 17 patrons and employees remained at the club.
Rodriguez fled the scene, but later turned himself in and was held on a $5 million bail at the Bucks County Correctional Facility. He now faces between 30 to 60 years in state prison.
Rodriguez’s nephew, 22-year-old Kevin Perez, entered a guilty plea in 2025 for several counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment for assaulting staff. The Trenton resident was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility, followed by a year of probation.
During the sentencing hearing, Deputy District Attorney Louka described Norman as a good father, a good son, and a good friend who died being a Good Samaritan, according to the statement.
Offering an account of how life has changed, the mother of Norman’s daughter told attendees the child still cries waiting for her father to call in the mornings and nights, as he used to, according to prosecutors.
“While this sentence ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his senseless and violent actions, we know it cannot fill the void left in the lives of those who loved Mr. Norman,” District Attorney Joe Khan said.