Charges have been filed against two suspects in the fatal shooting that transpired in June 2023, in Jeannette, Westmoreland County. WTAE reports that 27-year-old Deshawn Russell is now charged with first-degree murder, among other offenses, in relation to the death of Brianna Lartz, a 25-year-old woman who was shot in the head and killed during a shootout. Russell, identified by video surveillance and additional evidence, had yet to be arraigned as of their latest update.
In a development that broadens the scope of the investigation, authorities have also charged a second man, 27-year-old Maleek Green. Green, who faces his own set of similar grave accusations, is awaiting a preliminary hearing. According to a statement obtained by TribLIVE, the charges include second-degree murder and conspiracy, among related offenses. Both suspects have a history of prior encounters with law enforcement, with Russell reportedly serving a sentence for a weapons violation from a previous incident.
The incident, which left four others injured, was described by witnesses as a gunfight inside a house on Lowry Avenue. WPXI provides details that Green and Russell are alleged to have been firing shots in the home, with Green himself among those injured in the fray. The case has drawn attention to the violence intertwined with drug-related activities, as suggested by text message discussions indicating a drug deal that might have been planned at the home where the shooting occurred.
Green was apprehended in North Carolina earlier this month and was extradited to Pennsylvania, where he is currently being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. Neither Green nor Russell had an attorney listed in online court records at the time of the charges. Meanwhile, the community has been to grasp the loss of Lartz, remembered as a Jeannette resident and a Greater Latrobe School District graduate.
