YORK — When he reported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his left buttock in October, Wadie Danfora told police that an unknown assailant in a dark SUV shot him while he was sitting in his car.
Police now believe that story wasn’t true, and that Danfora, 28, was an active participant in a shootout that night.
So they’re looking to apprehend him, according to a criminal complaint filed late last week.
Danfora drove himself to the York Hospital Emergency Room to be treated for a gunshot wound on Oct. 8, according to the criminal complaint. He told police he was shot near his residence on the 900 block of S. Pine Street, where there had been a report of shots fired earlier that night.
Police who responded to that call found five spent shell casings in front of a residence on the street, charging documents say.
Danfora told police and medical personnel that he was shot while sitting in the driver’s seat of his Dodge Challenger, according to the criminal complaint. He added that the shooter was riding in a dark-colored SUV that drove by.
But a forensic investigation indicated that Danfora was not just an innocent bystander, police say. Instead, he appeared to be an active participant in the shootout.
Police say that during a preliminary investigation at York Hospital on the night of the shooting, an officer noticed a large blood stain on the driver’s seat of Danfora’s vehicle. The officer also noticed an extended magazine for a firearm in the driver’s side map storage area, in plain view, charging documents say.
While obtaining the ownership information for Danfora’s vehicle, an officer observed a speed loader for a .38 caliber revolver located in the glove box, as well as loose rounds of ammunition.
Police obtained a search warrant for Danfora’s vehicle. During their search, they discovered four visible bullet holes in the driver’s side door, but no bullets had penetrated into the car, charging documents say. Four bullet fragments were recovered from the inside of the door when it was disassembled, police say.
A search of the interior of the vehicle produced:
- One WIN .380 auto shell casing (a match for the five shell casings recovered by police at the scene on the night of the shooting)
- One high capacity 9mm magazine to a firearm containing 30 rounds of 9mm ammunition
- One speed loader for a .38 caliber revolver containing five live rounds of ammuntion
- Five loose rounds of .38 caliber ammunition
- A partial box of 9mm ammunition
Police also tested Danfora’s vehicle for gunshot residue, and discovered high concentrations of unique gunshot residue on the driver’s seat, steering wheel, dashboard and roof fabric directly above the driver’s seat, charging documents say.
They also found gunshot residue on Danfora’s right hand and arm, according to charging documents.
Based on the evidence, police believe that not only was Danfora a participant in the shootout, he was not inside his car when he was hit. Instead, they believe, he was shot outside his vehicle but fired a gun from inside it.
Danfora is charged with illegal possession of a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license and recklessly endangering another person. He remains at large, according to charging documents.
