Charges have been filed against Jamar Saunders, 21, following a shooting incident in Duquesne that led to a teenager allegedly being grazed by a bullet after disembarking from a school bus. The encounter occurred near Kennedy Avenue and Auriles Street around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, as WTAE reported.
Authorities were summoned to the scene following the gunfire, wherein the 15-year-old victim suffered a laceration to his elbow. Although initially reports indicated that no one was hit by the gunfire, the Superintendent of Duquesne City School District, Sue Mariani, later shared in a letter that a high school student was "allegedly grazed by a bullet." The teen, a student from West Mifflin Area High School, was reportedly on his way home from school at the time of the incident, said WPXI.
Video evidence obtained by the police from a nearby business captured two individuals on a porch, who appeared to stalk and then open fire on the 15-year-old as he walked by. The criminal complaint outlines a harrowing sequence, where the youth attempted to flee and subsequently fell, only to then be shot at from close range by one of the assailants. The video then shows two individuals running away, and one was later seen leaving a home on Auriles Street, which led to Saunders' encounter with law enforcement, according to WPXI.
Inside Saunders' home, detectives discovered firearms consistent with the 26 shell casings found at the crime scene. Saunders admitted his knowledge of one of the guns to the officers. As a result, he faces multiple charges, including criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and firing a gun into an occupied structure. This, despite Saunders' yet to be arraigned as of early today morning.
