Two teenagers have been charged in connection to a February shooting outside Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood earlier this year. Four students were injured in the shooting.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto announced Thursday that 17-year-old James Pritchard and an unnamed 14-year-old have been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and firearms charges.
Pritchard will be tried as an adult. Scirotto said the second suspect will be charged as a juvenile whose name will not be released.
The Feb. 14 shooting happened as classes were dismissed for the day at Westinghouse Academy. According to police, 10 rounds of gunfire triggered a ShotSpotter sensor, which alerted police to the incident. When officers arrived, three gunshot victims were found at the scene and a forth was later discovered at a hospital.
City officials acknowledged Thursday that eight months passed before they were able to file charges.
“Any investigation must be thorough and complete to ensure that we obtain potential convictions and hold those responsible for violence accountable,” said Scirotto.
Scirotto said security footage and community outreach were critical in apprehending Pritchard and the other suspect. He credited Pittsburgh’s violence prevention outreach workers for connecting officers to witnesses.
Rev. Cornell Jones, the city’s director of street outreach, said in addition to helping police with ongoing investigations, his staff has also prevented additional tragedies by intervening in the community.
“Workers are there on a regular basis out on the streets. They're going to people's houses, they're doing mediations, they're putting out a lot of fires,” Jones said.
Last month, city officials said another shooting at the school was thwarted by community members who spotted a group of teenagers in ski masks circling the school property in a Jeep. Investigators later determined that the vehicle was stolen and recovered a firearm and “incendiary devices” from the three juveniles.
Gainey echoed praise for community members who came forward to work with police: “Without the community and the police working together, it’s hard to solve these crimes," he said.
The mayor cited city statistics showing that violent homicide rates are down by 21% and that violent youth homicide is down 22%.
“We can see the progress,” said Gainey. “And we’ve still got a long way to go. But… I'm proud of everybody that's out here fighting every single day to make this [city] safe.”
