Berandi, Tony: 1906

On May 8, 1906, Fred Lumprecia made his way home to his boarding house at 421 Ninth Street, Altoona. Lumprecia was a laborer for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He had been drinking, and was known as a mean drunk.

Another tenant in the same home was Mike Berandi. Mr. Berandi’s brother, Tony, lived next door at 419 Ninth Street. Tony Berandi was married to Lumprecia’s sister. On the night of May 8, Mike Berandi decided to meet Lumprecia at the front door and refused to let him in the house. Lumprecia became angry and demanded to let in. Berandi then fired a revolver to frighten Lumprecia, who was not hit. Berandi fled upstairs, and Lumprecia went to his own first-floor room and shut the door.

Next door, Tony Berandi and his wife heard the shot. They went next door to see what was happening. They entered through the kitchen, which was empty. As they approached Lumprecia’s room, he fired through the closed door, emptying both barrels of a shotgun. The shot struck Mr. Berandi in the stomach, and nearly took off his wife’s head. Her face was burned by the powder of the shots. Lumprecia now fled, and the entire house was in an uproar.

A doctor was finally summoned two hours later, with the police shortly behind him. Dr. J.E. Smith ordered injured man taken to the hospital. He had been struck by more than twenty shot.

A search was made for Lumprecia, and patrolman Peter Reinelli saw him at Third Avenue and Seventh Street. He and several other officers entered the home of Mike Fusco, where they discovered Lumprecia hiding under a bed. Mike Berandi was also arrested for felonious shooting.

The victim, Tony Berandi, remained in the hospital while his assailant remained in the city jail, waiting to see if he would be charged with murder or not. The charge depended on the fate of Mr. Berandi. He rallied a bit, then lapsed backwards. Feeling the end was near, he asked to be taken home, where he died on May 14, 1906. He had been born in Italy, lived in Altoona for five years, and died at the age of 29. He was a member of St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church and was buried at St. John’s Cemetery. He left behind a wife and a young child.