Justin Vellucci stories, Page 20
‘An inspiration to me’: Bishop Zubik visits Allegheny County Jail inmates for Holy Thursday Mass
Bishop David Zubik stood Thursday afternoon in a narrow Allegheny County Jail hallway lined with white cinder blocks and spoke about how faith can lead to redemption. “The man who was crucified next to Jesus faced a death penalty,” said Zubik, as he chatted with reporters and jail volunteers. “And...
Bridgeville cop watched cellphone in patrol car before striking pedestrian, police say
A former Bridgeville police patrolman was looking at his cellphone in December before striking and injuring a pedestrian with his patrol car, authorities said. It is unclear if Daine Lower, 25, of Washington, Washington County, was on his cellphone at the exact time of the accident, Allegheny County Police said....
Religion argument led man to drive into friend outside South Hills bar, police say
An Ingram man was arrested Wednesday after he intentionally struck his friend with an SUV after they argued the night before outside a Castle Shannon bar, police said. Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, Castle Shannon police were dispatched to the Coal Mine, a bar and restaurant at 3160 Library Road,...
Bicyclist hospitalized after truck struck him at Pittsburgh intersection
A bicyclist was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after a semi-truck struck him while he crossed a Downtown Pittsburgh intersection. Pittsburgh police, firefighters and first responders were dispatched just before 10:30 a.m. to the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street for reports of the collision, police spokeswoman Emily Bourne...
Feds approve U.S. Steel agreement with county, environmentalists over 2018 plant fire
An agreement for U.S. Steel to pour nearly $25 million into its Mon Valley facilities and support the health of residents living near them has taken another step closer to becoming reality. U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy on Tuesday signed a consent decree the steelmaking giant inked in January...
‘A gentle soul’: Family reflects on year since fatal shooting of Pittsburgh bicyclist
Ellen Yerkey doesn’t want to think about Tuesday. The day marks one full year since her son, Alex, was fatally shot while he biked to a pick-up baseball game in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. The sting remains fresh. “It’s definitely not another Tuesday. It’s been a year since my son was...
Pittsburgh woman burned, hospitalized after fire at Arlington home
An elderly woman was hospitalized with burn injuries after a two-alarm fire Monday morning in Pittsburgh’s Arlington neighborhood. City firefighters were dispatched to the 100 block of Rinne Street at about 10:30 a.m. for reports of a home on fire, public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said. A female resident in...
Police chiefs tell state agency that DA found cops ‘justified’ in killing Upper St. Clair man
Three South Hills police chiefs whose officers fatally shot a mentally ill Upper St. Clair man in January have told a state agency that the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office determined their use of force was justified. District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has made no public statements about the...
Teen driver to face trial in fatal McCandless crash after best friend testifies against him
Aiden Saber stood in a red jail jumpsuit Friday, silently listening to his best friend testify against him. Jeffrey Tourney described how Saber triggered the horrific crash in December that killed a young woman — and Tourney’s little brother. Police said Saber, 18, of Richland was speeding in his mother’s...
‘He needs to feel remorse.’ Driver again denied bail in fatal crash that killed Serra Catholic studentVideo
Nenita Kalkbrenner sat in a Pittsburgh courtroom Thursday as the man charged with crashing into a school van and killing her 15-year-old daughter, Samantha, while drag-racing at speeds up to 107 mph, asked to be released from jail. William Soliday II has been held behind bars without bail since his...
Police charge Etna mom in drowning death of son, 1, in backyard pool
An Etna woman was arrested Thursday in the drowning death last summer of her 1-year-old son. Brittany Garrison, 28, took the boy, Leo, and a sibling to swim in an aboveground pool in her backyard on Sycamore Street around 3 p.m. on July 27, 2023, Allegheny County Police said. Garrison...
Raymond Sims’ children, grandchildren mourn family patriarch, jitney driver at East Liberty vigil
On June 13, 2023, Cassandra Paul lost her 29-year-old daughter, Tanika, to gun violence. Sixteen years earlier, she buried her son, Terry Lee, then 19, after he was killed in a home invasion. On Wednesday night, as wind chilled the air below freezing, the Pittsburgh woman struggled to light candles...
Police charge man in Downtown Pittsburgh armed carjacking, gunpoint robberies at The Waterfront; victim tells her story
Laura Stuart has dedicated her life to helping others. One night last week , when a stranger carjacked her in a Downtown Pittsburgh parking garage, she felt someone might have been watching out for her, too. Stuart walked into the garage at 320 Smithfield St. after attending a Greater Pittsburgh...
Police charge man with stabbing wife 17 times in Sharpsburg apartment
A Sharpsburg man on Tuesday stabbed his wife 17 times in their apartment and then, out of breath, called 911, according to police. At 2:01 p.m., Victor Cute, 69, told 911 that he had stabbed his wife and she was lying on the floor bleeding, a criminal complaint said. He...
Police charge Rivers Casino dealer, supervisor in alleged electronic roulette scheme
A veteran electronic roulette dealer at Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino and her supervisor have been arrested in what police said was a scheme to rig betting on the game of chance that cost the North Shore casino thousands of dollars. Pennsylvania State Police and the casino started investigating after receiving an...
Pittsburgh police make arrest in Allentown triple shooting that killed 1 man
Pittsburgh police have made an arrest in a triple shooting earlier this month that left one man dead in the city’s Allentown neighborhood. Quincey Gurske, 20, of Mt. Washington was taken into custody Monday morning for the fatal shooting March 3 of Marquese Freeman, also 20 and from Pittsburgh, authorities...
NAACP calls for federal investigation into Jim Rogers death
The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into the 2021 death of an unarmed Black man following an encounter with a Pittsburgh police officer who repeatedly shocked him with a Taser. The national civil rights organization told the U.S. Department of Justice in a letter that a “thorough investigation”...
3 Pittsburgh high school students hospitalized after eating ‘unknown edible candy’
Three Pittsburgh Public Schools high school students have been released from the hospital after they fell ill when eating an “unknown edible candy,” authorities said Wednesday. A group of five students on Tuesday ingested the “unknown substance” but only three were taken to the hospital, school district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh...
Duquesne man charged in connection with sex crimes
A Duquesne man remained in jail Tuesday after, police said, he raped a 10-year-old girl he knew and forced her to perform sex acts on another boy. Quavon McMillan, 20, was charged Feb. 1 with rape, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and one count each of unlawful contact...
Former Manor cop facing criminal charges was fired last month, borough mayor confirms
A former Manor police officer whose preliminary hearing on burglary and other charges was postponed Monday was fired last month in light of his criminal case and other alleged infractions, according to the Westmoreland County borough’s mayor. Justin R. Hall, 39, of Washington Township, Westmoreland County, was terminated at Manor’s...
Police charge Richland driver, 18, in fatal McCandless crash that killed 2 teens
Six teens piled into an SUV after a late-night hike in North Park, driver Aiden Saber behind the wheel of his mom’s Land Rover. It was late December, and they all had been drinking beer, police said. Saber pulled out of the park and “punched” the gas, according to a...
Guard punched inmate in Allegheny County Jail cell, police say
An Allegheny County Jail guard has lost his job and been charged after he punched an inmate multiple times, authorities said. Robert Veith, 49, of Plum, was conducting window cell checks Jan. 3 when the incident occurred, Allegheny County Police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said Monday. Surveillance video showed Veith talking...
Police release more images of alleged Oakland rape suspect
Pittsburgh police on Friday released its second set of images of a suspect they believe raped a woman in Oakland on Sunday. The suspect, who is seen in black clothing in the photographs, is described as possibly in his 30s, 5-foot-7 and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a black...
Tarentum man facing sex assault charges arrested in another rape case
A Tarentum man awaiting trial on 2023 charges that he sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl has been charged in an unrelated rape case. Allegheny County Police on Wednesday said Brian Lee Jefferies, 27, of Roup Street repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted a girl when she was between 10 and 13...
Stowe teen charged with shooting at undercover police officers
A teenager remained in jail Wednesday after being charged with shooting at two police officers doing an undercover drug investigation in Stowe a day earlier. Delvonte Woodson, 17, of Stowe was charged as an adult Tuesday with two counts each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and assault of a police...
