4 Philadelphia men jailed in connection with shooting near IUP

Four Philadelphia men are in jail on charges related to the shooting of Indiana University of Pennsylvania students during a robbery of an off-campus apartment on Valentine’s Day.

Indiana police arrested Nafis Dandre Harper, 23, Daron Reel, 19, Mamadi Saccoh, 20, and Samuel Nyenow Wilson, 20, in connection with the armed robbery of two apartments. One person was shot in the neck at 841 Wayne Ave. and another was hit in the head, though police said the injury was not life threatening .

University officials confirmed the two victims were IUP students but declined to identify them because of student privacy regulations.

The suspects are charged with four counts each of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery; two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a single count of theft.

Harper, Saccoh and Wilson were arrested Thursday and arraigned Friday before Indiana District Judge Guy Haberl, who placed them in the county jail on $150,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12. Records indicate that Reel was apprehended Tuesday.

The suspects also are accused of entering the apartment at 835 Wayne Ave., brandishing at least one weapon and taking cell phones, gaming systems, a television, a laptop computer, and making demands of the three occupants.

Two cell phones stolen from that apartment were recovered near the intersection of Philadelphia Street and College Lodge Road, police said.

The targets of the crimes were not randomly selected, police said.

Prior to making the arrests, Indiana police said they continue to amass “significant amount of evidence and information.” Assisting with the investigation were state police, IUP police and the Indiana County District Attorney’s Office.