A normally quiet neighborhood erupted with gunfire after police say a botched robbery led to the murder of a Sheraden shop owner.
Darryl Terry, 50, had only opened his Allendale market less than two months ago, but on the evening of May 18, after he fought back and tried to flee an attempted robbery, he was shot down in the street.
“There was a fight scene inside the store. It appears he ran out, the actor followed him and shot him fatally,” Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesperson Sonya Toler told media that evening.
“We’re told it’s a Black male between the ages of 18 and 23,” Toler said about the shooter. “He’s 5-9 with a thin build, with dreads or braids in his hair and possibly glasses, dark skinned.”
According to a WTAE report, a man who lives nearby said he heard the gunshot then saw the fatal shots.
“I opened up my door and I seen a fellow standing on the sidewalk. He took another shot, and Darryl fell down,” the witness said. “And the dude ran up behind him, laid about four or five more into him, and then took off running up the alleyway.”
Police say a woman who witnessed the attack tried to call for help and was shot. She was able to drive to Chartiers Avenue in Windgap, where first responders found her inside her vehicle.
“She was doing what anyone is encouraged to do if they see a crime—report it to 911,” Toler said.
The woman was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital, where she is listed in critical condition.
Also on the West End a 24-year-old man was killed in a shooting last Saturday night at a park in the Chartiers City neighborhood, police said.
Edward Deakings, most recently of Wilkinsburg, was identified by the medical examiner as the victim of the shooting on Summerdale Street.
Residents said about 100 people had gathered at the park near Chartiers Elementary School to remember a young man who was killed last year in Sheraden.
“Apparently there was some kind of a disagreement, and someone pulled out a gun and started shooting,” said.
A second person was shot in the hand and was treated at a local hospital.
Police have not identified the shooter.
“People scattered after the shots were fired, and that kind of inhibited the ability to talk to people,” Toler said.
City Councilwoman Teresa Kail-Smith, who represents District 2, said the neighborhood is usually a safe part of town that works well with police.
“To do a crime like this in front of so many people in a good neighborhood, and so many young children witnessing it—to me, that’s the devastating part. So many young children ran away from here traumatized,” Kail-Smith said.
Officials say they plan to bring in an extra patrol and use drug and vice units to crack down on a rash of violent crimes in the West End neighborhoods.
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