Two people have been arrested and are facing murder charges, after a deadly armed robbery at an apartment at 617 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls police say.
Shequan Herbert, 22, and Stephanie Raymond, 18, have been charged with murder, while police appear to be searching for a third suspect. A witness told police that Raymond appeared to be the getaway driver, according to court documents. Police say Herbert and Raymond are a couple.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, two of the suspects tried to get into the common hallway at the apartment. When they couldn't, they started banging on the door, investigators say. Jose Hewitt went to the door and asked two of the suspects to walk around the back of the building, but the suspects forced their way in and attacked Hewitt. Investigators say they hit him with a handgun, then made their way upstairs.
Next, two suspects pointed a gun at another victim, demanding money. They stole $4,000 dollars, before running outside to a get-away car, investigators say.
When police arrived, they found Hewitt lying just inside the doorway. Officers say they called for an ambulance, but Hewitt died before it arrived.
Niagara Falls police say an autopsy has been conducted and showed that Hewitt's cause of death was a heart attack, police say "undoubtedly brought on by the stress and severity of the attack." Police add that the new findings do not affect the charges or the culpability of the suspects.
Herbert and Raymond now both face second degree murder charges.
Investigators say they are looking for a third suspect. On Friday, police provided an update on the case, saying they believe they know who the third suspect is.
Police also say that an 8-year-old child was in the car at the time of the incident. The child is safe. There is no word on the relationship of the child and the suspects.
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