Investigators seeking information about shooting of lawyer
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
State police are asking anyone who might have information on this suspect to call the Avondale barracks at 610-268-2022.
State Police have released a composite sketch of one of the three men believed to have forced their way into a Pennsbury Township home and shot the homeowner, a well-known local lawyer.
According to police, the men entered the home of Fred Barakat on Hillendale Road some time after 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 and a struggle ensued. Barakat was reportedly shot once in a lower extremity and was transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he remains hospitalized.
State Police say they are speaking with Barakat to get additional information, but that the attack does not appear to have been a random home invasion, but rather that the bankruptcy attorney was targeted.
Police only released minimal details, but described one of the suspects as a white male, 30 to 40 years old, about 6 feet tall with short blond hair; two other suspects wore masks. Reportedly the assailants were seen leaving the home in a white or cream Mitsubishi sedan.
According to Barakat’s practice Website, he is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple Law School. The sites says he has 35 years of experience in bankruptcy cases. He also handles cases involving government contract matters, civil litigation, contract law and contract disputes, business formation, sales, mergers, and acquisitions, medical malpractice and personal injury.
Barakat has offices in Chadds Ford and Wilmington. Anyone with information is asked to call the Avondale barracks of the State Police at 610—268-2022.
