Falls Man Allegedly Shot Friend While Cleaning Weapon

A Falls man has been charged with aggravated assault and related counts after shooting and critically injuring his friend over the weekend, according to a police report.

Charles Byle III, 26, of Nettletree Lane in Levittown, brought his friend to Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township Friday night, telling hospital security he did not know who shot him, the affidavit says. According to the criminal complaint, the friend had been shot in the right bicep and the bullet traveled through the chest cavity, coming to rest behind the heart.

After noticing blood stains on Byle's clothing, detectives investigated his home in Falls Township later that night, according to court documents. Police say they found a bloody footprint on the sidewalk and a large amount of fresh blood in the yard, leading up to the front door.

According to the affidavit, the Bristol Township detectives were joined by Falls police officers for a search inside the home, where they found a bong in the kitchen sink, fireworks and a trail of blood from the front hallway to the first floor bedroom. Police say they found a revolver sitting on a shelf inside the bedroom.

Court documents say that during questioning at Bristol Township police headquarters, Byle told police he was in his bedroom cleaning a little bit of rust off the gun. His friend was standing sideways in the doorway when Byle pointed the gun in his direction and pulled the trigger, the affidavit says.

According to police, Byle said he was surprised when the gun fired because he usually keeps the chamber empty. The criminal complaint says that Byle told police the gun originally belonged to an ex-girlfriend who left it behind when she left.

Byle's preliminary hearing has been tentatively set for Nov. 19 at 1:30 p.m. before District Judge Jan Vislosky. According to court documents, he is confined to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent payment of $200,000 bail.

According to LevittownNow.com, the victim remains in critical condition at Temple University hospital.