Man ordered to stand trial in shooting outside Leechburg tattoo parlor

An Allegheny Township man accused of shooting two men outside a Leechburg tattoo shop last month was ordered to stand trial after pleading not guilty during a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Chad Robert Goldstrom, 37, was charged last month with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the shooting of Brian Oss and Justin Shook. An additional charge of carrying a firearm without a license was filed Wednesday.

District Judge James Andring ordered Goldstrom to stand trial in the case and denied a request to lower his bond. Goldstrom has been in Armstrong County Jail since Nov. 30 after failing to post $200,000 bond.

Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton called four witnesses to testify at Wednesday’s preliminary hearing. Neither Shook nor Oss attended. Goldstrom was present via teleconference but did not testify.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said Oss was paralyzed and in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh as a result of the shooting.

Goldstrom’s attorney, Wendy Williams, has said her client was acting in self-defense when he shot Oss and Shook on Nov. 29 in front of Iron Element Tattoo Gallery.

Williams said Goldstrom had a tattoo appointment that day. When he arrived at the shop, five men were waiting for him and planned to attack him, she said.

“He was not trying to intentionally cause their death,” Williams said. “He was just trying to get away from them. He did not try to kill these people.”

Leechburg police Officer Kyle Lewis testified that he responded to a 911 call for shots fired shortly after 3 p.m. outside the tattoo parlor.

When Lewis got to the scene, he saw the two men who had been shot and three other male witnesses, he testified. Oss was lying face down on the sidewalk. Shook was sitting against a wall.

Investigators said Oss was shot through the neck and spine, and Shook was shot in the right arm. Both men were taken to AGH.

Williams asked Lewis if he was able to speak with the witnesses. Lewis testified the witnesses wouldn’t give him any information and were “pretty uncooperative.”

The case was turned over to state police in Kittanning.

Trooper Michael Graham said investigators were able to determine members of a motorcycle gang were on Market Street at the time of the shooting. He was unable to say what the gang members were doing there.

Troopers said they used surveillance footage from the nearby First Commonwealth Bank, NexTier Bank, Leechburg HealthMart Pharmacy and the borough’s police department to piece together their investigation.

The video footage from First Commonwealth Bank was shown during the preliminary hearing.

The video shows three men, including Shook and Oss, standing on the sidewalk in front of the tattoo shop. Goldstrom and his girlfriend can be seen driving by the shop in a blue Jeep Compass.

Goldstrom and his girlfriend can be seen walking up to the shop. Goldstrom remained outside while she walked into the shop.

The video shows Goldstrom pulling a .40-caliber pistol from his waistband, raising his arm and shooting at the men at least three times.

After shooting the men, Goldstrom put the gun back in his waistband and went into the tattoo shop. He remained inside the business briefly before leaving with his girlfriend.

Graham said police were able to determine Goldstrom had a tattoo appointment that day. The three men who had been standing in front of the shop did not.

Following the shooting, Graham testified, the couple got into the Jeep and drove it to a Sunoco gas station on Market Street. The Jeep parked at a gas pump for a bit before pulling back onto Market Street and driving past the shooting scene.

Trooper Max DeLuca interviewed Oss at the hospital. The trooper said Oss was “in some pretty bad shape.”

DeLuca said Oss told him that he got into an argument with Goldstrom, and Goldstrom shot him.

“He had a bullet wound in his throat,” DeLuca testified. “The medical staff at the hospital was still working on him but he was able to speak when I was there.”