Authorities have identified the person who was shot and killed Tuesday morning in the 400 block of East Norwegian Street.
Dr. David J. Moylan III, Schuylkill County coroner, identified the deceased as Michael Bond, 47.
Moylan said a postmortem CT scan was to be performed on Bond’s body Wednesday afternoon and that his office is arranging for an autopsy to be performed by forensic pathologist Wayne K. Ross in Dauphin County.
Moylan said no other information about the deceased was known as of Wednesday, including where he lived.
USPhoneBooklists a person by that name and age as living at 437 E. Norwegian St. and WhitePages lists a man by that name and age as living in the Greenwood Hill section of Pottsville, which includes East Norwegian.
Patrick J. McGuinness, 30, of 427 E. Norwegian St., was charged Tuesday with a felony count of unlawfully owning a firearm due to a prior involuntary mental health commitment.
He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley and subsequently released after posting bail, which had been set at $10,000.
Earlier that day, McGuinness had told police he had shot a person attempting to enter his residence around 8:15 a.m.
During an interview with Pottsville police Detective Joseph Welsh, McGuinness admitted to possessing a Marlin lever-action 30/30 rifle, which he had used to shoot the victim.
McGuinness said he had been involuntarily committed by his mother several years ago because of mental health reasons, which his mother confirmed, according to Welsh’s affidavit.
Because of the involuntary commitment, McGuinness is not legally permitted to possess a firearm in Pennsylvania.
That law originates in the Mental Health Procedures Act of 1976. Under the provisions of that act, anyone who has been “involuntarily committed to a mental institution for inpatient care and treatment” is incapable of legally purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Elaine Gilbert, administrator for Schuylkill County Mental Health and Developmental Services, said the law is an issue that many in the county have complained about.
Several residents, she noted, have contacted the county about reversing their involuntary commitment status and restoring their right to purchase firearms.
Attempts to contact Pottsville police and officials from the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s office on Wednesday for updates on the shooting, the bail and if further charges are pending against McGuinness were unsuccessful.