Belmont Hills Woman Shoots Boyfriend in Front of House, Police Say

A woman shot her boyfriend early Saturday afternoon in front of their Belmont Hills home, told Narberth-Bala Cynwyd Patch Wednesday.

Magdalene Dressel, 41, and Frank Fiora, 31, each face multiple charges after the incident at 131 Jefferson St., Superintendent Michael J. McGrath said. Fiora was grazed in the leg by a single shot. He declined medical treatment.

A neighbor—who declined to be identified, to avoid retribution—told Patch the couple had fought outside in the morning, then gone back in the house. When Fiora came outside in the early afternoon to throw out some garbage, Dressel followed and shot him once without a word, the witness said.

Asked whether anyone was on the street during the incident, McGrath said, "There were neighbors in the area, but there did not appear to be anyone else in danger of getting hit."

After the shooting, McGrath said, Dressel's son took the weapon—Fiora's own licensed .380 handgun— and tossed it in a sewer grate. Fiora retrieved it before returning to the house.

Officers swarmed the area and called for the couple to come out, which they did with no resistance, McGrath said. The gun used in the shooting and another gun registered to Fiora are now in police custody.

Police would not provide details of the incident at Monday's weekly media briefing, at which point the case remained "an open criminal investigation," McGrath said. Asked why the township did not use its email alert system during or after the incident, the superintendent replied, "If there was a danger to the public, we could put something out, but since it was resolved on scene there was no reason to."

Jefferson Street was closed for hours afterward as the incident was investigated, said another neighbor, Jennifer Lewandowski. She was at home and didn't hear the gunshot but noticed the subsequent police response as she prepared for a dinner party.

"I've lived here for 11 years. We've never had this kind of nonsense," Lewandowski said. "These gun owners acted irresponsibly and put their neighbors in jeopardy. It's completely irresponsible and will not be tolerated. It's a disservice to (other) renters, their behavior."

No telephone listings for Dressel or Fiora could be found. Keystone Homes LLC of Toms River, NJ, bought the 2,500-square-foot duplex for $195,000 in January, property records show.

Dressel is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and disorderly conduct. Fiora is charged with marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, based on investigators' discoveries inside the house, as well as simple assault and harassment, McGrath said.

Both were incarcerated in lieu of $10,000 bail, according to Montgomery County Correctional Facility records. Dressel was released Monday and Fiora Tuesday.

Both are scheduled for preliminary court hearings at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 in the , McGrath said.