Many believe that violence is in the city, so they move to the outskirts for safer living, but Allegheny County, too, is falling victim to shootings all over, with certain areas being hit more than others.
Only two weeks into the month of August, there have already been eight shootings, all of them outside the city of Pittsburgh and many of them involving young Black males who have lost their lives or taken the life of someone else. But one constant is that all the homicides were senseless.
The month’s homicides began on Aug. 1 with the shooting death of 35-year-old Brandon Jones Sr., of Wilkinsburg, who was outside of a home in the 500 block of Coal Street in Wilkinsburg when someone opened fire. And the killing of Jamar Finn, 19, on Aug. 2, in which he died after several shots were fired into his home at 131 E. 10th St., in Homestead
One of the most horrific killings this month was that of Jabar Ford, 20, who was killed in McKeesport on Aug. 6 when he went to answer the door. Before even getting the opportunity to open it, the door was riddled with bullets, hitting Ford in the chest. The home was filled with people.
As of this publication deadline, the most recent homicide was that of Charles Davis, an 18-year-old North Versailles man, who was found by a motorist in front of an abandoned house in Duquesne on Aug. 12, with multiple shots to his body. It has been reported that he may have been killed somewhere else and his body dumped in front of the house.
With the exception of one murder, that of 18-year-old Brandon Johns who was shot during a drug sale gone wrong in Brinton Manor Apartments in Braddock Hills, all the homicides are still unsolved.
This year the McKeesport and Wilkinsburg communities have both seen an increase in their homicides. Last year, McKeesport, who currently has had seven homicides, had three and Wilkinsburg, who has seen eight homicides, had two.
Police Chiefs Ophelia Coleman, of Wilkinsburg, and Bryan Washowich, of McKeesport, along with Lieutenant Andrew Schurman, of the Allegheny County Homicide Division, were each contacted to see if these were homicides of innocent bystanders or the cause of retaliation for other crimes, but each failed to return calls as of this publication deadline.
Nonetheless, with senseless violence like this, 2012 is definitely expected to be a deadly year.
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