SCHUYLKILL TOWNSHIP — An argument over a video game left a man dead and his friend charged with murder.
Holden Hoffsis, 21, of Phoenixville, fatally shot his friend, Daniel Gray, during the early morning hours Friday, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the Schuylkill Township Police Department announced Friday evening.
Hoffsis is facing first-degree murder, third-degree murder and other related charges. He is being held at the Chester County Prison without bail. Defendants charged with first-degree murder are not eligible for bail under Pennsylvania law.
Authorities said this was an isolated incident and there was no danger to the community.
The criminal complaint filed Friday evening indicates that at approximately 3:27 a.m. Friday, the Schuylkill Township Police Department was dispatched to a residence on Westhorpe Lane for a report of a shooting.
Investigators eventually determined that Hoffsis shot his friend in the chest during an argument related to a video game, according to a press release.
Investigators also found marijuana and drug packaging material in Hoffsis’ room, and a bag of suspected cocaine in Hoffsis’ possession, the release states. A silver revolver was also recovered on the scene, according to authorities.
“This case is another sad example of how the mix of drugs and guns leads to violence and death,” Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement.
The Schuylkill Township Police Department and the Chester County Detectives are the lead investigating agencies.
Schuylkill Township Police Chief William Fitzsimons added, “I am grateful for the assistance of the Chester County Detectives and the District Attorney’s Office. Together we will get justice for the victim and his family.”
Chester County Deputy District Attorney Nicole Morley is the assigned prosecutor.
Anyone who may have information regarding this incident is asked to call the Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866 or the Schuylkill Township Police Department at 610-933-5820.
