Penn Borough man accused by police in shooting at his home

A Penn Borough man is being held without bail in connection with a weekend shooting at his home, according to state police.

Michael Eugene Keslar, 44, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.

State police said in court papers filed early Sunday that the wounded man was undergoing emergency surgery at AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville.

Troopers were called to Locust Street at 10:30 p.m. Saturday to investigate a criminal mischief report when they learned a man had been shot. A dispatcher told investigators that Keslar admitted to shooting the man and the arriving troopers heard someone yelling for help, according to court papers.

Police said they found the man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen in a nearby backyard. He identified Keslar as the shooter, troopers wrote in the complaint.

Keslar came outside and told troopers that he shot the man. During a 911 call and conversations with dispatchers and authorities, Keslar claimed that the wounded man broke into the home and refused to leave after Keslar fired three warning shots inside.

Troopers said conversations with the wounded man’s mother and identification cards showed that the two men both lived at the Locust Street home. On Monday, a motorcycle was parked in the driveway and what appeared to be an evidence marker remained on the wooden front steps. A red, white and blue flag with outlines of guns on it hung above the garage.

There was no answer there or at the doors of neighboring homes.

Keslar did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 9. He is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison.

Keslar does not have a criminal record in Pennsylvania.