Mother of Steven Eason pleads for leads in son’s death

STEVEN EASON

 There have been no arrests made as of Tuesday evening, Oct. 5, in the shooting detah of 15-year-old Steven Eason, the Central Catholic High School student who was shot and killed following a confrontation at the Haunted Hills Hayride in North Versailles three weeks ago.

Shantel Pizaro, Eason’s mother, pleaded for people to come forward with information leading to the arrest of her son’s killer, during a news conference in front of Allegheny County Police headquarters in Green Tree, Oct. 1.

There is a reluctance for some people to come forward with information, due to possible retribution, or the feeling that it wasn’t their child who was injured. But Pizaro said that the person who did the shooting shot into a crowd of people, where it could have been anyone’s son or daughter. Another person was shot in the incident, a Penn Hills High School student, but that person survived.

“We need this person off of the streets,” Pizaro said. “At some point, us as adults, we have to come forward to make a change. Where are the adults leading these children down the right path? Someone has to do it. We need to teach our kids the right morals, teach them the right way to go.”

Shantel Pizaro, Mother of Steven Eason

Pizaro said her son, whose funeral was held, Sept. 18, at Petra International Ministries in East Hills, was looking forward to prom, graduating from Central and attending college. Eason has a twin sister, and they both were looking forward to their 16th birthday.

“How can she have a birthday every year…she no longer has her twin brother by her side,” Pizaro said. “It’s hard, it’s just very hard.”

Police believe that Eason was coming to the aid of one of his friends who had gotten into an argument with another person at the Hayride on Sept. 11. That’s when the suspected shooter opened fire, hitting two people.

Police believe the suspected gunman is a Black male teenager, 15 to 17 years old, 5 foot 9, who at the time had short hair and was wearing dark blue cargo shorts and carrying a black backpack.

Eason’s death was the 86th homicide in Allegheny County this year. There were 90 homicides through the first nine months of the year. Overall, 12 people under age 18 have been killed in Allegheny County as of Sept. 30, which many officials say is just unacceptable. There have been a number of community meetings with members conjuring up ways to stop the violence, but still, the violence continues.

“I can’t sleep. It’s hard to sleep and get any rest when my son is gone,” Pizaro said at the news conference. “It’s hard to be able to heal. I can’t even start my healing process when the person who did this to my son is still walking freely. No consequences. Nothing. It’s a lot of confusion, hurt, it’s unbearable. I can’t even put into words how I feel to live with my baby every day for 15 years, to see how much he’s accomplished, to know that I’ll never be able to see certain milestones.”

 

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