Gainey pleads for public aid; Police search for second man involved in downtown drive-by shooting

Pittsburgh police are looking for a second man involved in the shooting death of 21-month-old De’Avry Thomas. On Monday evening, the office issued a to guarantee for Markez Anger, 23, charged with criminal homicide, criminal association and firearms offences.

Police arrested Londell Falconer, 26, on Monday, charging him with homicide and criminal association for his involvement in the shooting.

Thomas was killed Sunday afternoon by gunfire in an apparent shooting in downtown Pittsburgh, police said.

Deputy Chief Lavonnie Bickerstaff largely declined to answer questions about further developments in the case at a Sunday evening news conference, although she said the shooting appeared to be aimed at someone else in the car in which De’Avry rode. “We have information that we cannot verify at this press conference, but as soon as we have information that we can provide, we will release it to the public.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and others pleaded with the public to help identify the attacker.

“I ask the city to pray for this family who lost a…baby,” Gainey said. “If anyone knows anything that can help this family, please call.”

Officers responded shortly after 2:30 p.m. at the 100 block of Fourth Avenue in response to a report that a child had been shot in a vehicle at an intersection not far from the PPG Place ice rink and Market Square.

Shortly after, there were “numerous 911 calls for shootings in the area,” Police Commander Cristyn Zett told reporters.

Zett said the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. She said her mother was present, but it was unclear who else was there and whether there was a connection between the shooter and De’Avry.

“We are following several leads right now,” Zett told reporters. She called it “a very active and ongoing investigation”, but added: “We are not yet ready to release descriptions to the public”.

Later on Sunday afternoon, police were later seen on Tinsbury Street in the Troy Hill area appearing to investigate a black Jeep with the help of trained dogs, one of whom was given a shirt to sniff .

During the Sunday evening press conference, Bickerstaff confirmed that “We believe that [the Jeep] was the vehicle that was used.” But as to whether the use of a shirt meant the police had a suspect in mind, Bickerstaff would only say, “I can’t speak in regards to the investigation. , but I can say that we have evidence gathered and the investigation is ongoing.”

Police also did not immediately discuss evidence found at the scene of the shooting, although several shell casings were visible on the sidewalk. City police responded to the scene, along with Port Authority police, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department and city emergency medical services.

Gainey said the city was working on an initiative to address gun violence – one he said would be released next week and would focus more intensely on the “small number of extremely violent individuals” who were responsible for a disproportionate number of violent acts.

U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung, who joined Gainey at the press conference, pledged federal resources to address the issue, which she called “an outrageous act in broad daylight.”

Sunday’s shooting is the latest in a string of recent acts of gun violence. Shooting at an Airbnb on the North Side leads to the deaths of two teenagers and Americans everywhere grapple with the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Texas last week.

Sunday evening, US Senator Bob Casey cited the downtown incident in a statement that claimed“We must fight the epidemic of gun violence by passing sensible gun laws and investing in community-based violence intervention programs.”

Bickerstaff took a similar approach during his remarks on Sunday evening.

‘There are just too many guns,’ she said, blaming ‘irresponsible gun ownership’ and illegal purchases of straw by third parties on behalf of people who shouldn’t have them. , including “young people who do not use them as they should”. to be.”

Bickerstaff said the shooting appeared to be a “targeted incident” – an incident directed at someone else in the car, rather than an undirected shooting. But she acknowledged bystanders could be affected – as happened on Sunday.

“That’s why I said we need to get these guns off the streets,” she said.

Ariel Worthy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.