Justin Vellucci stories, Page 36
Fire chief to headline Zoom session on emergency management, rail disasters
Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones will headline a Zoom session at 6 p.m. Thursday on whether an East Palestine-style rail disaster could happen in Pittsburgh, as well as how city officials are preparing for it. The first part of the town hall — organized by Southwest PA Grassroots Resident-Led Air...
Wilkinsburg man wanted on parole violation taken into custody
A Wilkinsburg man accused of violence against women has been taken into custody. Laron Robinson, 33, was wanted on a probation violation involving a 2022 case where he pleaded guilty to strangulation and making terroristic threats, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Saturday. Robinson also is facing an active warrant from...
‘Living history’ unfolds during reenactors’ training session on the Kiski RiverVideo
Nine years ago, IT consultant John Stevenson brought some antique firearms into a Pittsburgh-area gun shop, where a man invited him to a Civil War reenactment. The rest, as they say, is history. Stevenson — who’s been taking part ever since in historically accurate reenactments that organizers call “living history”...
2 teens arrested in shooting death of Pittsburgh high school student
Pittsburgh Police have arrested two teens in the fatal shooting of an Oliver Citywide Academy student last year. Police charged Eugene Watson, 18, and his brother, Brandon Watson, 17, both of the city’s Crafton Heights neighborhood, with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, and two firearms violations. They are both charged as...
Bridgeville man arrested in connection with sex assault of girl
A Bridgeville man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl has been taken into custody. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office charged Zachary Kelly, 27, earlier this month with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, and three counts of corruption of minors, court records show. Sheriff...
Officials identify Moon Township man found dead inside drainage tunnel
A domestic disturbance led to the discovery of a dead man inside a drainage tunnel Wednesday in Moon Township. The medical examiner Thursday afternoon identified the man as Panayioti R. Rauseo, 35, of Moon Township. He was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. Wednesday in the area between Stoops Ferry Road...
Free speech or hate speech? Pitt students reflect on trans rights protest, emergency alerts
Macaiah Thaxton, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, supports rights for transgender people but also understands why Pitt did not stop conservative guest speaker Michael Knowles from debating about the topic during a protest-provoking event on campus. “Do I think that Michael Knowles is someone who I would like...
Protest arises during transgender event at Pitt, police report ‘incendiary device’ outside buildingVideo
Protests raged into Tuesday night on the University of Pittsburgh campus during a debate with Daily Wire host Michael Knowles about transgender rights inside the O’Hara Student Center. The university closed buildings and reported a “public safety emergency” as a protest crowd grew and an “incendiary device” went off. Police...
North Carolina woman accused in Chalfant stabbing
A North Carolina woman has been arrested in connection with a stabbing in Chalfant over the weekend. Alisa Turner, 50, of Charlotte, faces one charge of aggravated assault, court records show. She was taken to Allegheny County, but was released after posting $5,000 bail on Saturday. Allegheny County 911 was...
Man charged in fentanyl death of 7-month-old Penn Hills girl
A man from Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood faces charges in connection with the fentanyl-poisoning death of a 7-month-old Penn Hills girl. Allegheny County Police on Friday charged David Dwayne Poindexter, 58, with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Police said Poindexter, a boyfriend of the baby’s grandmother, was being held in Allegheny...
Allegheny County authorities arrest fugitive wanted on drug, weapons charges
A Beechview man who authorities said skipped a court date on drug and weapons charges was arrested Friday and will face additional weapons charges. Jonathan Packard, 34, was deemed a fugitive on March 6 when he failed to appear before Judge Jill Rangos, according to Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M....
Norfolk Southern offers up-close view of cleanup work at East Palestine derailment site
Chris Hunsicker has done environmental cleanup work for 30 years, but he said he’s never been involved in a project as extensive as the one that began after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine in early February. “This is a very unique event and a very significant event,”...
East Liberty man used Nerf-style gun in 2 Shadyside bank robberies, police say
An East Liberty man in flip-flops used a blue and orange Nerf-style gun to rob two Shadyside banks in as many days before being arrested and confessing to the crimes, authorities said. Rashon Coleman, 29, stormed into PNC Bank on Centre Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Monday, shoving a white, plastic...
Man found dead in Homewood house identified, incident ruled a homicide
A man found dead inside an abandoned Homewood house was identified Tuesday. Brentell Lewmont Clark, 24, of Pittsburgh, was found on the third floor of the home. He had been shot in the face, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office and public safety spokesperson Cara Cruz. Pittsburgh police...
Penn Hills man accused in Rodi Road plaza shooting arrested
A Penn Hills man who police say opened fire on a family member in a Giant Eagle parking lot has been arrested, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Tuesday. Norman Vire, 49, was arrested by sheriff’s detectives in connection with the Dec. 5, 2021, shooting and taken to Allegheny...
Sources say Pittsburgh close to announcing new police chief from list of 3 finalists
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is expected to name the city’s next police chief soon, possibly within days, according to those close to the hiring process. Gainey and three committees have been working, largely behind closed doors, for nearly six months to find a successor to former Chief Scott Schubert, who...
Outgoing Pittsburgh EMS chief reflects on 45-year tenure with city
Pittsburgh EMS Chief Ron Romano’s final day in uniform — March 31 — was nearly 14 years to the day since a gunman fatally shot three Pittsburgh police officers while they were responding to a domestic dispute in Stanton Heights. Romano still remembers the sense of urgency to get to...
Pittsburgh woman charged in luring incident accused in 4 similar robberies
A Beechview woman charged Wednesday in connection with an attempted robbery and shooting is accused of staging at least four other robberies in two municipalities in the past month, court records show. Pittsburgh police charged Nyzjayah Majors, 20, with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit robbery, both felonies. She also...
Medical examiner IDs victims of Homewood shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified two Pittsburghers who were fatally shot in Homewood last month. Damion Nance, 46, and Janell Ross, 47, were found dead on Frankstown Avenue late March 24, according to the medical examiner. Police said they responded to the area around 11:50 p.m. after...
Allegheny County combats opioid abuse through ‘harm reduction’ campaign
Stacie Brown remembers the date her life came crashing down — and when she started to take it back. “June 1, 2012, is the day I overdosed and stopped using,” said Brown, 51, of Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill, an overdose outreach coordinator for Allegheny County Health Department. “I remember I was...
A town derailed: ‘Shell-shocked’ East Palestine residents seek normalcy after train
For many people in and around East Palestine, Ohio, life changed when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 near the Pennsylvania border. The controlled burn of toxic chemicals that followed sent a large plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles....
Former Pittsburghers in Israel protesting judicial reform alongside other Israelis
Kally Kislowicz, a former Pittsburgher who now lives in Israel, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is popular in her conservative West Bank settlement of Efrat. But she said that doesn’t make Netanyahu, known as “Bibi” to most Israelis, above reproach. Controversial judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu have triggered protests across...
4 Pittsburgh police officers get new ranks, responsibilities
Pittsburgh police promoted four of their own officers Thursday in a ceremony at City Council chambers Downtown. Sgt. Andrew Baker was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, while Detectives Anthony Barber and Gino Macioce and Officer Sean Gavin advanced to the rank of sergeant. “These individuals have proven their knowledge,...
Bicyclist shot and killed in Bloomfield identified as former Pittsburgh city intern
Pittsburgh officials on Tuesday mourned the loss of a former city intern who was shot and killed while riding his bike through Bloomfield. Alexander Yerkey, 26, whose home address was listed as Bethel Park, died shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday after being shot in the head, the Allegheny County Medical...
Pittsburgh man who pleaded guilty to assault, car robbery in McKees Rocks arrested
A Pittsburgh man wanted on three different warrants has been taken into custody, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Tuesday. Troy Royster, 28, from the city’s Homewood neighborhood, pleaded guilty in March 2022 to a number of charges in McKees Rocks, including aggravated assault and robbery of a motor vehicle. Royster...
