Police were looking for suspects and called on witnesses to come forward after two young men were shot and killed after a large party in Pittsburgh degenerated into a barrage of gunfire shortly after midnight on Easter Sunday, police said.
Eight more people suffered gunshot wounds, while another five were injured trying to flee. The two who died were under 18 and the other victims of the shooting were 14-year-olds, according to local authorities.
“It’s heartbreaking,” the city’s chief of police, Scott E. Schubert, said during an afternoon news conference. “How can you even go on vacation when your child was involved in something as traumatic as this?”
He said there was evidence of multiple weapons at the scene.
“It’s our top priority to find out who did this and get them off the street,” he said.
The incident is the fourth mass shooting in the past week and the third over the weekend. Just the day before, nine people were shot in a busy Columbia South Carolina shopping center, then at least nine others were shot overnight at a club in rural Hampton County, SC. On Tuesday, 10 passengers were gunned down on a New York City subway train.
The shootings are an example of what some believe to be a recent national spike in violent crime. The homicide rate has increased by nearly 40 percent since 2019, and other violent crimes, including shootings, are also on the rise. Experts point to multiple possible factors that could explain the uptick, including the pandemic, loss of trust in the police and a surge in gun sales.
But officials said one obvious factor in Pittsburgh was the large, seemingly uncontrolled party. Many of those present were minors.
The chaotic scene in Pittsburgh started around 12:30 a.m. at an Airbnb rental in the East Allegheny neighborhood, also known as Deutschtown, on the north side of Pittsburgh, the department said in a statement on Sunday. About 200 people attended the party, according to the statement.
Pehri Faulkner, a resident of the area, said she was one of the first people to call 911 when the shooting happened.
Ms. Faulkner and her sister had returned home from a night out at about 11:45 PM to see teenagers standing in lines waiting to enter the Airbnb. A few of them informed Ms. Faulkner and her sister that a party was going on and those in attendance had to pay $5 to enter.
Not long after Mrs. Faulkner returned home, the pops of gunshots and sounds of panic came from outside. “There were cars everywhere, people were running everywhere, screaming hysterically,” she said. “We couldn’t even hear how many gunshots.”
On Sunday, neighbors came out to collect blood from their cars. Shattered glass, bullet casings and items of clothing left behind by the partygoers on the run were scattered across the street.
“It’s one of those things that you don’t think will happen on your doorstep,” Ms Faulkner said. “It’s pretty crazy to have witnessed the whole thing and see it happen right in front of us.”
Evidence on the spot indicates that there were several gunmen, according to authorities. The shots started after an altercation at the party, authorities said.
“As many as 50 shots were fired inside, causing some partygoers to jump out of the windows and sustain injuries such as broken bones and cuts,” the statement said. “A number of shots were fired outside the house.”
Emergency services took some of the gunshot victims to local hospitals, while others came to the hospital independently.
The detectives questioned witnesses and viewed video footage, the department said.
During the afternoon press conference, officials described East Deutschtown, which is separated by a highway, as a neighborhood that had been run down and poorly maintained before becoming increasingly gentrified. The mass shooting incident followed a deadly Saturday shooting in another North Side neighborhood about four miles away.
“While there is drug and some prostitution in the area, it’s generally not known as one of the biggest problem areas in the city,” said Cara Cruz, a spokesperson for the city’s public security department.
Ms Faulkner described the area as relatively safe.
“I’m very active around the neighborhood. I walk around with my dog all the time,” said Ms. Faulkner. “I never felt safe here.”
Ed Gainey, who was sworn in as Pittsburgh’s first black mayor in January, criticized the city’s lack of “meaningful legislation” to curb gun violence, hinting at pending action, in a statement Sunday.
“It is critical that we come together now to help reduce the violence currently taking place, as we begin the long-term work to end the culture of violence that enables the senseless loss of life we experience today,” said the mayor.