Alleged driver in Pringle shooting declared incompetent to face attempted homicide charge

Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough determined on Thursday that Mubarak Abdullah Muhammad, 47, is incompetent following a mental health evaluation. Muhammad faces charges related to a drive-by shooting that occurred in Pringle over two years ago, specifically involving the shooting of Kaliel Serrif Kareem Woody-Johnson on February 5, 2023.

Muhammad, whose addresses include Phillipsburg, N.J., and Harrisburg, was allegedly driving a Honda Accord when a passenger in his vehicle shot Woody-Johnson, who was seated in another car at the time. The shooter, still unidentified, is described as a Black male wearing a ninja-style mask.

Court records indicate that phone numbers linked to both Muhammad and Woody-Johnson were involved in an earlier incident in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, just days before the shooting in Pringle. Investigators recovered four spent casings and two projectiles at the Pringle shooting scene, contributing to the case against Muhammad, which includes charges of criminal conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Delays in the case have occurred due to a change in Muhammad's defense attorneys and unrelated criminal charges of stalking and dissemination of intimidating images in Northampton County. In September 2023, Muhammad received a 15-to-30 month state prison sentence for those charges.

During a recent status conference regarding the Pringle shooting, Judge Vough ruled Muhammad incompetent but plans to revisit the case once his prison term in Northampton County is served. Currently, Muhammad is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution in Houtzdale, Clearfield County, with Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Marsh and Anthony Cardone prosecuting the case, while Attorney John Donovan from the Public Defender's Office represents him.