The Beaver Falls community is grappling with a tragedy this week after a 16-year-old, Darell Love Jr., was fatally shot in the head. Another teenager, 16-year-old Eric Krassman, has been apprehended and charged with homicide in connection to the incident. According to the WPXI, Krassman was taken into custody earlier this morning, and court dockets show he was arraigned shortly after midnight.
The events unfolded on the night of December 18, when Beaver Falls police responded to a call and discovered Love with a gunshot wound at his home on 13th Street, as WTAE reported. He was rushed to a Pittsburgh hospital but succumbed to his injuries later. Krassman, who allegedly fled the scene leaving behind a semi-automatic handgun, faces additional charges of possessing a firearm as a minor. The details of how police apprehended Krassman have not yet been disclosed.
Love's passing has deeply affected his peers at Beaver Falls High School, where grief counselors and support services were made available. Donovyn Dinello, a friend of Love, expressed his grief in an interview cited by WTAE, saying, "The whole night, I was hoping, you know, hoping he was okay. And then, when I woke up this morning, my mom had told me the information that he had passed away. And I was in my bed crying for, like, 20 minutes because, you know, everybody loved him. He was a beacon. Every time, he would always make somebody laugh. You know, he had the best sense of humor."
Authorities urge those with information regarding the case to contact the City of Beaver Falls Police Department directly.
