Police charge couple in fatal shooting after Pittsburgh roommates argue over messy house

An argument Monday between roommates over a messy house in Pittsburgh turned deadly, police said.

When the squabble was over inside the South Side Slopes home, Eddie Kimber was fatally shot and two people were under arrest.

Police charged one of the roommates, Destiny Jenkins, 23, and her boyfriend, Lee McGinnis, 24, with homicide and other offenses.

The fatal sequence of events began when Jenkins and a roommate, whom police did not name, got into an argument about the cleanliness of the house around 4 p.m., according to a criminal complaint.

The roommate told police Jenkins started throwing punches while in the staircase of the Sharon Street home.

McGinnis then fired a shot that struck Kimber, the unnamed roommate’s brother, in the back, the complaint said.

The roommate grabbed Kimber and started dragging him up the stairs, the complaint said. Additional shots were fired, one nearly grazing the roommate’s head.

Jenkins and McGinnis fled, the complaint said.

First responders rushed Kimber to UPMC Mercy hospital, where he died a short time later.

Police said they later found and detained both Jenkins and McGinnis at a Brownsville Road gas station. Jenkins was carrying a gun in her bag, according to the complaint.

Jenkins told police the witness was the one who became physical during the argument, pushing her and threatening her with a gun, the complaint said.

Jenkins said she tried to shoot at Kimber but the gun jammed, the complaint said. McGinnis then took the gun and shot him, she said.

McGinnis also told police he fired the shot that hit Kimber in the back.

It was not immediately clear whether Kimber and McGinnis lived in the house. The roommate told police that Kimber did, but the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office listed his home as South Oakland.

McGinnis’ home address on his criminal complaint matches the address of the incident.

Jenkins is charged with homicide and conspiracy, while McGinnis faces homicide, conspiracy, aggravated assault and gun possession charges.

Attorneys for the two were not listed Tuesday in court records.

Both defendants were taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

McGinnis has a minor criminal record in Pennsylvania, court records show.

He pleaded guilty in June to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 90 days of probation. Two years earlier, McGinnis pleaded to disorderly conduct and harassment charges, court records. He got 90 days of probation.