5 Dead in Pennsylvania Backyard Shooting

5 Dead in Pennsylvania Backyard Shooting

Police arrived to a backyard in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania to find five people dead and three others wounded in what, at first, appears to be a random act of violence involving gunfire.

Those in the backyard where attending a party in the backyard when the first shots rang out from an alley behind the house shortly before 11 p.m. on March 9. The partygoers tried to escape through the back of the house, only to have someone open fire from a yard adjacent to the residence, according to police. Witnesses say there were at least 30 gunshots heard.

Police arrived to find four people, three females and one male, lying dead on the home’s back porch. A fifth person, a woman, succumbed to her wounds after being transported to a nearby hospital. Three people were wounded, two are them are listing in critical condition while the other is stable.

Ballistic tests show that the pair of shooters escaped on foot, but police are having a hard time determining which way they went. They are also stumped as to how the shooters knew the victims, if at all, or whether they eventually used a getaway car.

Authorities are still investigating to determine the identity of all the victims as well as the identity of the shooters.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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