Norristown man admits to attempted murder in shooting incident

NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man already serving a life sentence for his role in a shootout that killed an innocent bystander who was caught in the crossfire has admitted to a separate, unrelated shooting days earlier during which he tried to kill a man seated in a vehicle in the borough.

Edwin “Bam” Islas-Cruz, 24, who listed addresses in the unit block of Basin Street and the 100 block of West Fornance Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 10 to 20 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder in connection with a Sept. 16, 2021, shooting during which he fired gunshots at a parked vehicle occupied by a man in the 500 block of Stanbridge Street.

The intended target was not struck by the bullets but told police “he was in fear for his life and believed that ‘Bam’ was trying to kill him,” according to a criminal complaint.

The shooting occurred after Islas-Cruz approached the man’s vehicle about 12:01 a.m. Sept. 16 and told him “just get off this block.” When the victim told Islas-Cruz that he didn’t know him, Islas-Cruz allegedly responded, “I’m Bam.”

“(The victim) told ‘Bam’ to step away from his vehicle at which point ‘Bam’ started reaching into his pockets, which caused (the victim) to believe ‘Bam’ was carrying a weapon,” Norristown detectives Joshua Keenan and Carl Robinson Jr. wrote in a criminal complaint. “(The victim) stated that he started to drive off when he observed ‘Bam’ raise his right hand and fire a gun at him. (The victim) stated that he heard and felt multiple projectiles strike his vehicle.”

Judge Risa Vetri Ferman imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.

The latest sentence will run concurrently with the life sentence Islas-Cruz is already serving for a first-degree murder conviction in connection with the 5:21 p.m. Sept. 18, 2021, shootout in the 600 block of Astor Street that killed 51-year-old Barry Fields, an innocent bystander who was not involved in the shooting and was sitting on the steps of his residence enjoying a warm end of summer evening outdoors with family.

Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Kull, who sought a significant prison term against Islas-Cruz for the Sept. 16 attempted murder, said even though Islas-Cruz is serving a life sentence in connection with Fields’ death he needed to face justice for the earlier shooting as well.

“Edwin Islas-Cruz is a danger to the community and he needed to be incapacitated,” Kull said. “Although he wasn’t injured, (the victim) could have lost his life that day as well.”

When Islas-Cruz was apprehended during a car stop in Nebraska on Oct. 4, 2021, authorities recovered a firearm from the vehicle that ballistics tests eventually linked to fired cartridge casings recovered at both the Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 shootings, authorities alleged.

“The only link between the attempted murder and the murder is Edwin Islas-Cruz and his obsession with firearms,” Kull said.

During a trial in November 2022, Joshua “Drill” Agudio Jr., 21, of the 1000 block of Forest Avenue, Norristown, also was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the shootout that left Fields dead.

During the four-day homicide trial, prosecutors alleged there was an ongoing “beef” between Agudio and Islas-Cruz and friends of Islas-Cruz and that the gun violence was an outgrowth of that disagreement.

Prosecutors sought first-degree murder convictions against Islas-Cruz and Agudio, arguing the men had a “specific intent to kill” each other and that their conduct over the course of eight, violent seconds resulted in Fields’ death.

The men were charged with homicide under the legal theory of so-called “transferred intent,” which prosecutors use when a defendant allegedly intends to kill one person but instead inadvertently causes the death of a second, different person. Under state law, the intent transfers from the intended victim to the actual victim.

During an autopsy of Fields, a forensic pathologist noted a single entrance wound to the left side of the face, entering the left cheek and striking the brain stem. The doctor recovered a projectile and ruled the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was homicide.

Prosecutors alleged the shot that killed Fields came from a weapon fired from Agudio’s location on the street during the shootout.