January 02, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
An woman who was found dead in her car Thursday afternoon along Route 48 died of natural causes, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said.
Harriet D. Sigmund, 82, was pronounced dead at the scene after her car went off the road, officials said. She died of cardiovascular disease, the medical examiner’s office said.
Allegheny County police said the incident happened just after 4 p.m. near the intersection of Long Run Road and Marshall Drive. The Allegheny County police homicide unit and collision reconstruction unit investigated.
McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service and UPMC personnel also responded to the scene.
December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner, 15, of Dravosburg was killed when the school van in which she was riding was struck by a car on Richland Avenue. Four other occupants of the van, including the driver, were injured. Police have charged two men in connection with Kalkbrenner’s death. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School)
Two men accused by police of causing a school-bus crash on Dravosburg Hill that killed a 15-year-old student and injured four other people are scheduled for preliminary hearings this week.
In court filings, Allegheny County homicide detectives said that license-plate cameras, onboard vehicle computers and witness testimony led them to charge William R. Soliday II, 43, of Irwin, and Andrew N. Voigt, 37, of Penn Hills, in connection with the Sept. 20 death of Samantha Kalkbrenner, a sophomore at Serra Catholic High School.
“Because of the senselessness and the recklessness of the one defendant, Soliday, we think this is a murder case,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. said. “We believe they were racing.”
According to court documents, both men work at nearby Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. Investigators allege that Soliday’s high-performance Volkswagen Jetta GLI was traveling at 107 mph before it slammed into the school bus in which Kalkbrenner and three classmates were riding.
Soliday is currently being held without bond in Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing Friday before Magisterial District Judge Kim Berkeley Clark in Pittsburgh.
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December 03, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting in the city’s Christy Park neighborhood that left two people dead.
In a prepared release, homicide detectives said the victims were found dead of gunshot wounds inside a home in the 400 block of 27th Avenue on Saturday afternoon after worried relatives called police and asked them to check on the occupants.
The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office identified the deceased as Maria Moffitt, 49, and Roy Steele, 58, both of McKeesport.
Detectives said the circumstances of what led up to the shootings are currently under investigation, but investigators do not believe anyone else was involved, and said there is no threat to the community.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
November 25, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
A man accused of shooting a North Versailles Twp. police officer early Friday morning apologized to detectives and his girlfriend before passing out from his own injuries, investigators said.
Ian Lamont Fields, 47, of Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood is being held at the Allegheny County Jail without bond pending a preliminary hearing Nov. 29 before Magisterial District Judge Kim Berkeley Clark.
Fields, who sustained two gunshot wounds to the leg in Friday’s incident, is accused of wounding a North Versailles officer following a domestic dispute in the 200 block of Arlington Avenue.
The wounded police officer was treated and released at a local hospital. His name has not been officially released.
In an affidavit of probable cause filed in Allegheny County night court, county detectives alleged that shots fired from Fields’ .40-caliber Glock pistol wounded the officer in the face and hand. Officers returned fire, according to the criminal complaint, striking Fields twice in the right leg.
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November 24, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
BREAKING: This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
A North Versailles Twp. police officer was wounded early Friday morning when a suspect shot at him, Allegheny County police said.
The incident happened just before 4 a.m. in the 200 block of Arlington Avenue.
An intense police search for the suspect involving multiple agencies was underway in the early hours of Friday morning. According to broadcast reports, the suspect was taken into custody at about 8:30 a.m. His name has not yet been released.
Allegheny County police said that township officers were called to a report of a domestic disturbance with shots fired at 3:39 a.m. Responding officers encountered a suspect in an alley behind a home and attempted to take him into custody, police said. The man refused and instead produced a handgun, firing at least one shot at the officers, Allegheny County police said.
One township police officer was injured.
Police said a township offier returned fire and the suspect fled the scene. The wounded officer was taken to a local hospital where he was reportedly in good condition, according to a county police spokesperson.
Witnesses reported that a handgun was recovered on Delaware Avenue, about one block from the shooting.
Allegheny County homicide detectives are investigating. The suspect was described only as a Black male wearing dark clothing.
Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call the Allegheny County police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
November 20, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Few details are available regarding a shooting that sent a Duquesne woman to the hospital.
Allegheny County police said the victim, whose name was not released, was shot in the leg just before 4 a.m. Sunday. The incident happened in the 200 block of Fifth Street, police said.
The victim was taken to an area hospital in stable condition, police said in a release.
County detectives are investigating. Anyone with additional information concerning the incident is asked to call the county police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
November 15, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 15-year-old from Wilmerding was found dead Tuesday night following a shooting in the borough.
Dillan Shearer, a student at East Allegheny High School, was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, Allegheny County homicide detectives said. He was pronounced dead just after 11:30 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.
The incident happened in the 300 block of Patton Street, police said.
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October 24, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A student at McKeesport Area High School was taken into custody Tuesday morning after district officials said a handgun was discovered in his bookbag during a security screening.
A district spokesperson said that McKeesport police are investigating the incident and that the student would be subject to school disciplinary policy and procedures.
In a release, McKeesport Area officials said a security guard discovered the weapon during a routine screening at the high school entrance at approximately 8:15 a.m.
All students are required to enter the school building through metal detectors.
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October 12, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A West Mifflin man was seriously injured Sunday morning after the car which he was driving left West Fifth Avenue in the city’s 10th Ward and landed upside down on the railroad tracks.
Joseph E. Gault, 47, had to be extricated from the car by firefighters and paramedics and was taken by ambulance to UPMC Mercy Hospital, Uptown, McKeesport police said.
According to a report, Gault’s car was traveling east toward Downtown when his car left the road at Rebecca Street, crashed through a metal railing and landed on the CSX Railroad tracks.
Minutes earlier, according to police, a Glassport officer had attempted to stop a silver Toyota sedan in that borough, but the driver, later identified by police as Gault, fled the scene.
Following a brief pursuit, the Glassport officer lost sight of the vehicle near the Mansfield Bridge, according to a report. Police discovered Gault’s wrecked car a short time later, according to a report.
The incident is under investigation, police said.
September 20, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
BREAKING: This is a developing story and will be updated. It is subject to change.
Updated with statements from Serra Catholic High School, Bishop David Zubik and State Sen. Jim Brewster.
A 15-year-old student from Serra Catholic High School died Wednesday morning following a crash in Dravosburg, emergency personnel said.
Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner of Dravosburg was pronounced dead at the scene just before 8 a.m., the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said. She was a passenger in a school van operated by Serra that collided with a car at the intersection of Richland and Third avenues, witnesses said.
Three other students and the drivers of the van and the car also were injured, officials said.
All school activities were cancelled Wednesday and remain cancelled through Sunday, the high school announced on Wednesday afternoon. Teachers will be available on the school’s Haler Heights campus on Thursday to counsel students who are grieving, a spokesperson said.
A prayer service on campus is being planned at 7 p.m. Thursday. All are welcome to attend, the school said.
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