Fatal Shooting Reported In Montco

HATBORO, PA —A Horsham Township man has been charged with killing a borough man who allegedly said the "N word" several times to him during an ongoing dispute Saturday evening, authorities said.

Maurice Byrd, 41, of Horsham , is charged with the first-degree murder of Stephen Strassburg, 37, of Hatboro, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Hatboro Police Chief Mark Ruegg said in a press release on Sunday.

Just before 6 p.m., Saturday, Hatboro Police responded to Razor Reese’s Salon and Spa on 226 N. York Rd. to find Strassburg in the business’s parking lot suffering with gunshot wounds to the face, clavicle, and back.

He was transported to Abington Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A joint investigation by Montgomery County Detectives and Hatboro Police found there was an ongoing dispute between Byrd and Strassburg, who lived above Razor Reese’s, which is owned by Byrd.

Byrd had called 911 at 5:45 p.m. to say that he was being verbally assaulted by Strassburg.

A criminal complaint states that Byrd told the 911 dispatcher that he was being "verbally assaulted" by a white man, who called him a “dirty N-word.”

While still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, Strassburg can be heard saying "what are you going to do, you going to shoot me N-word," the complaint states.

Immediately after seven gunshots could be heard. There was an initial burst of five gunshots, a brief pause, and then two additional gunshots, the affidavit states.

Byrd then says "I just had to shoot him". The dispatcher asks "Did you hit him?" to which Byrd responds "Yes I did,” the criminal complaint said.

Since December of 2022, Hatboro Police had responded to 226 N York Road on three separate occasions for verbal disputes between Byrd and Strassburg.

Each of these disputes were verbal in nature and ended with verbal warnings from the Hatboro Police Department to avoid contact with each other, the complaint states.

On the scene, seven 9mm fired cartridge casings (FCCs) were recovered.

Police also recovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, which was registered to Byrd. Byrd has a valid permit to carry a firearm.

Strassburg did not have a weapon at the time of the shooting.

Byrd is charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, and possessing an instrument of crime.

He is awaiting arraignment at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility at which time a preliminary hearing date will be scheduled.

There is no bail for first-degree murder charges.