City man charged with criminal homicide stemming from Columbia Borough fight waives preliminary hearing

A city man charged with attempted criminal homicide and firearms offenses during a fight in a Columbia Borough neighborhood will have his case proceed to county court after waiving his preliminary hearing last week.

Matthew Albert Rowley, of the 500 block of East Strawberry Street, waived his preliminary hearing before Judge Miles Bixler on Feb. 3 on charges of attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and two felony firearms offenses.

Rowley, 35, is accused of stabbing the victim during the altercation in the first block of South Sixth Street in Columbia Borough the evening of Jan. 7.

The 27-year-old victim was taken to a local hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

An eyewitness told police that Rowley and the victim were physically fighting one another when Rowley brandished a concealed handgun shortly after 10:30 p.m. Rowley is not eligible to possess or conceal a weapon due to a previous conviction.

Evidence shows and the eyewitness stated that Rowley fired a single shot. The weapon jammed after the first shot, after which Rowley discarded the gun and began stabbing the victim in the abdomen with a folding knife.

Police arrived at the scene to find the victim bleeding profusely and Rowley having suffered minor injuries to his face.

Rowley remains in Lancaster County Prison without bail due to the severity of the offenses.

Columbia Borough Police Det. Matthew Leddy filed the charges.

Chief of the Major Crimes Unit Mark Fetterman will prosecute the case.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.