Pennsylvania

Police officer accused of shooting hunter after whiskey shots during Pa. goose hunt

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Police officer accused of shooting hunter after whiskey shots during Pa. goose hunt

A Berks County police officer faces criminal charges for accidentally shooting a fellow hunter while hunting Canada goose last fall, according to authorities and multiple published reports.

David Qawasmy, 30, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, faces misdemeanor counts of shooting and causing injury to a human and reckless endangerment.

Witnesses, including the victim, told investigators that Qawasmy was among members of the group hunting who had been drinking alcohol just prior to the incident last November, according to court records.

Qawasmy is scheduled March 26 to appear for a formal arraignment at the Berks County Court of Common Pleas. He is free on bail after posting a bond signature in the amount of zero dollars, according to court records.

The shooting came up during a meeting Tuesday morning of the Pennsylvania House Game & Fisheries Committee in Harrisburg. State Rep. David Maloney Sr., the committee’s Republican chairman from Berks, pressed Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Stephen Smith on whether Qawasmy could face a lifetime hunting ban in the “extremely serious” incident.

“There’s law that gives you, as a Game Commission, a certain leeway to take care of that,” Maloney told Smith. “So these are the questions I’m getting. And my colleagues need to know that this is out there. People don’t want this man to be a police officer ever again, and they want him to go to jail.”

Smith said he couldn’t comment on the potential for a lifetime license revocation since the criminal matter is still open.

The incident occurred the year after Pennsylvania saw the fewest number of hunting-related shooting incidents since 1915. Of the 13 incidents in 2023, one was fatal, according to the Game Commission.

Qawasmy’s private attorney listed in court records, Timothy Woodward, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

The incident occurred the morning of Nov. 23, authorities say. A game warden from the Game Commission Southeast Regional Office responded for a waterfowl hunter who was shot on private property in the 1900 block of Memorial Highway in Berks County’s Oley Township.

Emergency responders took the victim to Reading Hospital after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head. The victim underwent brain surgery and was listed in critical condition, court records say; he remained in intensive care for several days.

The shooter, identified as Qawasmy, reported to the warden he was hunting Canada geese from an A-frame hunting blind, investigators wrote in their affidavit of probable cause to file charges. The document lays out evidence and witness testimony against a defendant.

Qawasmy reported he and the victim were in the same blind with two other hunters; he was on the opposite side and they were about six feet apart, court records state.

Qawasmy reported in court records after the group had shot at a flock of geese, he noticed a goose flying around the left side of the blind toward the rear. He allegedly shouted “rear” and shot at the bird from his position on the far right side.

When he fired, Qawasmy reported hitting the victim on the top of the head, causing him to fall to the floor, court records state.

A witness on Nov. 27 reported to investigators that on the day of the incident, just prior to the shooting, Qawasmy and several others in the hunting party had been consuming alcohol, according to court records.

The victim on Dec. 17 was able to be interviewed at a rehabilitation facility by investigators. He reported not being able to walk due to the gunshot wound, according to court records.

The victim recalled shooting at geese on Nov. 23. He kneeled over in the blind to grab shotgun shells from his bag to reload his shotgun and when he went to stand back up, he felt something strike his head, court records state.

The victim reported several members of the hunting party, including Qawasmy, consumed shots of whiskey the morning of the incident, court records state.

The victim reportedly told investigators the drinking made him feel uncomfortable and he thought about leaving the hunt. He was unsure how much alcohol Qawasmy allegedly consumed.

Qawasmy declined further interviews with investigators after consulting with Woodward, according to court records.

Multiple published reports, including by the Reading Eagle, indicate Qawasmy in January 2023 was sworn in as a newly hired patrolman in Exeter Township, Berks County.

According to December 2024 Exeter Township Board of Supervisors meeting minutes, Qawasmy was listed as in need of uniforms.

It’s unclear if Qawasmy remains on duty. WFMZ-69 News reports he is on leave from the department.

Exeter police Lt. Sean Fullerton, the department’s public information officer, didn’t immediately return a request for more information, nor did police Chief Matthew Harley or township Manager William Heim.

None of the Exeter Township Board of Supervisors — Chairman Mohammad Mohammad; Vice Chairman John “Jack” Piho; Clarence Hamm; Michelle P. Kircher; and George Bell — immediately responded to a request for comment.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball, Pick 2 Day results for Dec. 20, 2025

Published

5 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Day: 2-2, Wild: 2

Evening: 5-3, Wild: 9

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Day: 2-0-0, Wild: 2

Evening: 4-6-7, Wild: 9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Day: 6-6-7-9, Wild: 2

Evening: 1-1-7-1, Wild: 9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Day: 9-9-1-2-6, Wild: 2

Evening: 8-1-9-3-5, Wild: 9

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

14-24-26-42-45, Cash Ball: 04

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

05-07-08-37-38

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

03-06-08-16-18

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

10-13-22-31-35-45

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

05-08-19-23-43, Powerball: 06

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.

When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Powerball lottery ticket wins $1 million as jackpot grows to $1.5 billion

Published

17 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Pennsylvania Powerball lottery ticket wins million as jackpot grows to .5 billion

article

FILE – Powerball logo displayed on a phone screen and coins are seen in this illustration photo.

PHILADELPHIA – A Powerball ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched five numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing, winning $1 million, according to lottery officials.

What we know:

The Pennsylvania ticket was one of several nationwide that matched all five white balls. The ticket did not include the Power Play multiplier.

Because no one matched all six numbers, the Powerball jackpot continues to climb. The next drawing will feature an estimated $1.5 billion jackpot, with a cash option of $689.3 million.

Winning numbers (Dec. 17, 2025)

25 – 33 – 53 – 62 – 66
Powerball: 17
Power Play: 4x

The Pennsylvania Lottery has not yet announced where the winning ticket was sold.

What’s next:

The next Powerball drawing takes place Saturday night, Dec. 20. The estimated jackpot is an astounding $1.5 billion.

The Source: This article is based on official Powerball drawing results.

LotteryPennsylvania

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Pennsylvania

More than $22 million in

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.

In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”

The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.

“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”

With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.

What are Money Match checks?

The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.

“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.

However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.

What is unclaimed property?

Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.

According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.