Mass shooting outside Pittsburg funeral leaves 6 people injured

By Edward Era Barbacena

At least six people were injured after a shooting erupted on Friday outside a church in Pittsburgh where a funeral was taking place, according to Pittsburgh Police Commander Rick Ford.

One individual injured in the shooting remains in critical condition and is being treated at Allegheny General Hospital, while the other five victims are in stable condition at area hospitals, Ford said during a news conference.

At least one of the victims in stable condition was transported to Children’s Hospital in the city, Ford said.

Police were alerted to two ShotSpotter activations shortly after noon Friday. The first alert indicated five rounds shot, and the second alert indicated 15 rounds shot, Ford said. Once at the scene, responding officers determined the gunfire was heard outside the church. It’s believed at least some of the people shot were attending the funeral, Ford said.

Authorities do not have any information on a motive at this time, nor do they have any information to release regarding potential suspects, he added. It also hasn’t been determined where the shots were fired from, what kind of weapon was used or whether anyone was targeted in the shooting, according to Ford.

Police believe there was “most likely” more than one gunman, but Ford stressed the investigation is still in its early stages. When asked whether gang activity may be involved, Ford said, “We believe there is a dispute going on, we’re looking into that.”

Ford also said of the six shooting victims, four transported themselves to nearby hospitals and two were transported by medics. He declined to release their ages or other identifying information at this time since police are still working to notify families.

All schools in the vicinity of the shooting have also been notified the area is now safe for dismissal of students, Ford said.