Feds file detainer to keep Beaver County man accused of shooting trooper in custody

The U.S. Probation office has filed a detainer against a man accused of shooting a state trooper Friday in Beaver County to ensure he remains in custody.

Damian Bradford, who was serving a five-year term of supervised release after spending 14 years in federal prison for killing a Mercer County urologist whose wife was having an affair with Bradford, is charged in state court in connection with the shooting early Friday at Aliquippa’s Franklin Mini Mart.

He is being held at Beaver County Jail on $800,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15 before District Judge Edward Howe.

Trooper Jonnie Schooley, who worked in the Beaver barracks, was shot in the leg when he and another trooper, Shawn Palmer, were investigating a disturbance at the Aliquippa store early Friday.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said Bradford brandished a handgun at several people inside the store and confronted another man outside.

When the troopers approached Bradford, 41, he began to fight with them, firing his pistol once, the complaint said.

He also attempted to take Palmer’s gun and Taser. Patrons inside the store helped Palmer get Bradford under control and take him into custody.

Schooley was flown to Pittsburgh for treatment. Although he lost a significant amount of blood, officials said his injuries were not life-threatening.

On Friday, the U.S. Probation office in the Western District of Pennsylvania, which had taken over Bradford’s supervision in January 2021 from the Northern District of Ohio, filed a petition for a warrant for Bradford’s arrest.

He had been released from federal prison just a month before.

Bradford was convicted of interstate stalking and using a firearm in the killing of Dr. Gulam Moonda in 2005. Bradford met Moonda’s wife, Donna, at a drug rehab facility when he was 22, and they began an affair.

Donna Moonda provided Bradford with an apartment and bought him clothing and jewelry.

At some point during their relationship, she asked him to kill her husband, promising Bradford half of everything she collected from his estate.

The two established a plan where the Moondas would take a road trip to Toledo, and she would pull over. Bradford was then to pull in behind them and kill Dr. Moonda, 69.

On May 13, 2005, they executed their plan — Bradford shot Dr. Moonda once in the head. He was arrested and ultimately cooperated with federal investigators in the case against Donna Moonda, now 63.

She was convicted of murder for hire and is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla.

In the federal probation petition filed against Bradford, Supervisory Officer Nick H. Capaccio wrote that the warrant was necessary due to the seriousness of the alleged conduct and the danger Bradford presented to the community.

According to the federal court docket, Bradford’s attorney sought permission in April for him to use medical marijuana for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after he’d been issued a medical marijuana card on March 30.

In a response, the U.S. Attorney’s office objected, noting that Bradford began using marijuana at age 13 and used it daily, and that he also abused cocaine and alcohol.

Further, the government said that Bradford failed to provide any information as to what doctor issued his card or certified him to use medical marijuana.

In his June 3 order denying the request, U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy wrote that possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and that Bradford’s supervised release requires him to comply with federal law.