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Man Faces Federal Prison in 2015 City Incident
By Staff Reports
The Tube City Almanac
July 27, 2022
Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former Pittsburgh man who threatened to shoot up a house in McKeesport in 2015 has been found guilty on federal narcotics trafficking and firearms charges.
James Taric Byrd, 45, will be sentenced Dec. 5, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung in Pittsburgh. Byrd could face life in prison and a fine of up to $1.5 million.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately an hour on July 21 before convicting Byrd, who was tried before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
The trial July 19 and 20 briefly made national headlines last week when — during a break in jury selection — Byrd was accused of punching his court-appointed attorney, R. Damien Schorr of Penn Hills.
No jurors were in the courtroom at the time of the alleged assault but prosecutors said it was captured on video.
Following the incident, Byrd was removed from the courtroom and was tried in absentia.
According to court records, Schorr had asked to withdraw from the case multiple times, citing irreconcilable differences with his client.
Prosecutors allege that on Feb. 23, 2015, McKeesport police were dispatched to a home where Byrd had threatened to shoot the occupants. Inside Byrd’s car, police said, they found a loaded firearm that had been reported stolen, along with a bulletproof vest, heroin, cocaine and marijuana.
Byrd’s previous felony convictions made him ineligible to possess a firearm, prosecutors said.
Byrd faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of $1.5 million, or both. The McKeesport Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Byrd.
Originally published July 27, 2022.
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