The sale of ¼ pound of marijuana and the use of counterfeit bills led to the death of a 19-year-old man from Scranton, Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian J. Gallagher said Tuesday.
Police charged Kayden Christopher Jurbala, 20, of Archbald, with criminal homicide and robbery in connection with the death of Tyvon Amari Ash.
Gunshots, crash early Sunday morning
Archbald Police responded shortly after midnight Sunday to the area of Laurel Street Park in the borough after multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunshots followed by the sound of a vehicle crashing.
Officers located Ash inside a crashed 2025 Mazda CX-30, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation, led by State Police, determined that the victim traveled to Laurel Street Park believing he was meeting individuals to sell approximately 1/4 pound of marijuana. Jurbala planned to rob Ash using counterfeit currency, according to the criminal complaint.
Jurbala exchanged six counterfeit $100 bills for marijuana. When Ash realized he had been deceived and attempted to leave, Jurbala produced a stolen 9mm Glock 43X handgun and fired a single shot through the open passenger-side window, striking the victim in the back, according to law enforcement.
After being shot, Ash tried to drive away but crashed his vehicle nearby. Jurbala and a juvenile fled on foot, discarded the firearm and attempted to conceal evidence, police said. The 16-year-old juvenile is being charged in juvenile court, according to Gallagher.
The investigation included witness interviews, surveillance video review, forensic processing of the crime scene, cellular telephone analysis, search warrants and the recovery of physical evidence. The firearm used during the homicide had been reported stolen from a vehicle in Blakely, resulting in the additional charge of receiving stolen property.
'Senseless' loss of life
“This was a completely senseless and unnecessary loss of life. A young man is dead over a robbery involving marijuana and counterfeit money — a series of terrible decisions that ended in tragedy,” Gallagher said in a statement. “There was absolutely no reason for this young man to lose his life. Instead, one impulsive decision involving a firearm left one person dead, devastated multiple families and forever changed the lives of everyone involved. Far too often, we see young people carrying guns and resorting to violence instead of walking away. We cannot accept a culture where robberies, disputes or disagreements are settled with guns. That culture has no place in Lackawanna County. Every homicide leaves behind grieving families and a community forced to deal with the consequences of completely avoidable violence.”
Ash graduated from Scranton High School last year and received his plumbing certification from the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County, according to a GoFundMe page set up to pay for Ash's funeral expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, the page had raised more than $23,000.
