POTTSTOWN, PA – Markovich announce the arrest of Gerald Scott Ramos, 43, of North Evans Street in Pottstown, for the shooting murder of 36-year-old Darrius Waller while he was sitting in his Jeep outside of his home on North Evans Street.
On Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, at 9:35 p.m., Pottstown Police responded to 500 block of North Evans Street for a report of a shooting. Police arrived to find the victim, Darrius Waller, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds while sitting in the driver’s seat of his red Jeep. He was transported to Pottstown Tower Health Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The scene was processed, and eight 9mm cartridge casings were recovered outside of the Jeep.
Pottstown Police and Montgomery County Detectives launched a joint investigation into the homicide. The investigation found through witness interviews and surveillance video that the victim was sitting in his Jeep with the headlights illuminated when the defendant approached from the rear of the vehicle. He can be seen in video walking directly to the driver’s side door and then shooting eight times into the driver’s side of the vehicle. The defendant then walked back to his residence a few doors away from the shooting. The victim was unknown to Ramos before an alleged speeding incident that evening; Ramos told detectives that he was walking home from his brother’s house when a Jeep sped past him and nearly struck him. Ramos said this made his “so angry” that he went to his apartment to try to “cool down” before he then got his gun and went back outside. Ramos legally owned the 9 mm Taurus semi-automatic handgun.
“The murder of Darrius Waller is another senseless murder of a victim that had no relationship with the defendant. This murder was prompted simply by anger over a supposed speeding incident,” said DA Steele. “These homicides of innocent victims need to stop.”
An autopsy was conducted on Dec. 6, 2021 by Dr. Kahlil Wardak of the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, which determined that Waller died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide.