Two teenagers shot and killed at crowded Pittsburgh party identified

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Apr 23, 2022

By Caroll Alvarado and Steve Almasy, CNN

Two teenagers who were shot and killed at a packed party in Pittsburgh over the weekend were identified by the county medical examiner on Tuesday as Mathew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown.

The 17-year-old victims died in a hospital after the shooting that occurred early Sunday in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood, authorities said.

Investigators say multiple shooters were involved in the incident at a property rented through short-term rental company Airbnb.

According to an email from Cara Cruz, the city’s public safety spokesperson, the bullet casings showed that various weapons had been used, including an AR-15 type weapon. Police believe the other casings were from handguns, said Cruz, who declined to comment further.

“It’s heartbreaking to see this level of violence, with so many people in this place,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert told CNN on Tuesday.

Nine people were shot and five others were injured as they fled the gunfire, authorities said. Police initially reported eight people were shot, but revised the number to nine on Tuesday after learning the victim had been taken to hospital “by private means”, according to a statement.

The ninth victim, a male, arrived at the hospital in stable condition, the statement said.

Steffy-Ross was a senior at Grace Non-Traditional Christian Academy, the school said in a statement. Steffy-Ross “was kind, respectful, and considerate of others,” according to school CEO Terrie Suica-Reed.

“He loved music and had a bright future,” she added.

Brown was a student at the Woodland Hills School District, acting district superintendent Daniel Castagna told CNN.

“We are devastated by the loss of one of our students over the weekend and send our deepest condolences to the family affected by this senseless violence,” the school district said in a Facebook post. Castagna said the school will offer counseling services.

The victims were identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office a day after Schubert called on the hundreds of people who attended the party to provide information about the shooting.

“Obviously when you have that many people there there are more that can come forward and they have to think about the fact that it could be friends and people they knew who were involved as casualties, and we need to get these shooters off the streets,” Schubert told CNN.

No less than 200 people attended the party, most of whom were minors, the city said in a press release.

Some people who were at the scene cooperated, the chief said. Authorities are still looking for multiple shooters based on shell casings of different calibers at the scene, he said.

“We try to reconcile everything. We ask for the cooperation of the public and those who were there on what they saw, what they heard, all the videos, all the photos to help us in the investigation,” he said.

Detectives were diligently watching the video and doing “everything they could,” Schubert told CNN.

Facebook Live video shows terror as shots are fired

The terrifying moments experienced by some teenagers as they fled the gunfire were recorded on a Facebook Live video.

In the video, a partygoer is heard shouting, “He’s got the gun!” Get the f**k out,” as he tries to warn his friends about what’s going on. “He’s about to shoot!” he also shouts.

Panic ensues and several teenagers are seen huddled together and rushing for an exit before gunshots are heard.

The video then shows frantic teenagers dodging and stumbling over each other as they rush for a door.

Over 90 shots fired

The shooting took place around 12:30 p.m. ET, and when police arrived on the scene, they saw several youths fleeing the area, officials said.

Investigators are still working to determine what led to the shooting, however, Schubert said some sort of altercation occurred when gunfire was exchanged.

Schubert called the scene chaotic, with more than 90 shots fired inside and outside the house.

“You had people running away, just trying to get out of there,” the chief said.

“As many as 50 bullets were fired inside, prompting some revelers to jump out of windows, sustaining injuries such as broken bones and lacerations. Several more shots were fired outside the house,” the press release read.

“We’re here over Easter, and we have several families, two who won’t be seeing a loved one,” the chef said.

Schubert told CNN most of those at the party were minors, but there were adults.

Police called for noise complaint before shooting

Police visited the property just 90 minutes before the shooting in response to a noise complaint, Pittsburgh police said in a news release Monday.

When an officer arrived at the address, a man opened the door, the statement said. The officer asked for the owner and “he was told he was upstairs,” police said.

“This man went down to the ground floor door to meet the officer,” the statement said, “as the habitable and visible part of the house where the party took place is on the second floor, out of sight Door”.

“He was asked to turn the music down and he complied. The officer told her that if the police were called back to the address again, they would have to shut down the party,” the statement read.

There have been no more noise complaint calls to that address, police said.

Schubert told CNN on Tuesday that during the noise complaint call “nothing stood out to give the appearance of anything wrong, and officers returned to duty.”

The tenant of a property now “banned” from Airbnb

The person who booked the property where the party took place has been banned from the platform for life, Airbnb said in a statement to CNN. Company officials said they “condemn the conduct that allegedly prompted this criminal gun violence.”

Airbnb contacted the Pittsburgh Police Department and Mayor Ed Gainey’s office, it said in the statement.

Airbnb notes that parties are not permitted under its rental agreements and that this was “an unauthorized party, held without the knowledge or consent of the host.”

Users must be 18 or older to create an account on the platform, Airbnb noted, adding that it “considers all legal options” against the person who booked the rental.

“We share the Pittsburgh community’s outrage at this tragic gun violence. Our hearts go out to all those affected, including loved ones of those who lost their lives, injured victims and neighbors,” Airbnb said in the statement.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the status of the investigation. According to the police, several shooters were involved.

CNN’s Amy Simonson, Ray Sanchez, Michelle Watson, Tina Burnside, Ramishah Maruf, Keith Allen, Emma Tucker and Laura James contributed to this report.