KNOXVILLE, Pa. (WETM) — Pennsylvania State Police have released the name of the individual killed in the Knoxville homicide incident early Friday morning.
Police say that Layanah Griffin died after being shot in the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 29 after one round was fired by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Brendan York.
Police say that around 2:44 a.m. on Friday, a call was made by York telling the dispatcher that a domestic incident happened and that Griffin had been shot.
Troopers arrived at the scene around 3:11 a.m. where York was arrested outside of the apartment at 308 S. Water St. in Knoxville. The report states that troopers found Griffin inside the apartment on the floor of the living room with an AR-style rifle on the couch.
York was taken to the PSP barracks in Mansfield where he was questioned by police at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. York told police that at some point in the night, Griffin came out of the bathroom and began throwing things around the bedroom before touching his rifle against the wall and leaving it there.
York told police that he had picked up his rifle and brought it into the kitchen where he chambered a round and followed Griffin from the kitchen to the living room.
Police say that York pointed the weapon at Griffin as they were in the living room and that York continued to get closer to her after he said she was facing him in a diagonal position. York told police that Griffin had moved toward him from the door and that’s when he fired a single round.
York has been charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor including:
- One count of criminal homicide, a grade one felony
- One count of aggravated assault, a grade-one felony
- One count of aggravated assault, a grade two felony
- One count of possession of an instrument of a crime, a grade one misdemeanor
York is currently being held at the Tioga County Prison.
