A man was charged Friday with homicide regarding the death of a 16-year-old boy who was beaten at Elizabethtown Borough Park on Aug. 6.
Elizabethtown police charged 24-year-old David M. Skalla for punching Blake Shearer several times after Skalla confronted the boy about loud music being played at the East Washington Street park.
Skalla, of Elizabethtown, is in custody regarding a parole/probation matter. He will be arraigned at a later date on counts of homicide and aggravated assault. He is presumed innocent.
Multiple witnesses to the incident reported Skalla being the only one to throw punches, escalating the verbal altercation to a physical attack.
Shearer was struck four times in the face and head and eventually fell to the ground.
Shearer was being treated this week at Hershey Medical Center for head and brain injuries. He died there Friday about 2:20 p.m.
After the assault, Skalla left the park with his family in a vehicle which was photographed by a witness. That photograph led police to the vehicle, owned by Skalla’s girlfriend. Police contacted her and Skalla.
According to information gathered by police, Skalla told his girlfriend that he “blacked out” during the incident.
Elizabethtown police Detective Dustin Ryan filed charges, which were approved by Assistant District Attorney Andrew LeFever.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright