A 24-year-old Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to trying to kill a federal drug agent who happened to drive too close to his stash house during an unrelated surveillance operation two years ago. Drew Gordon fired 18 rounds at the undercover DEA agent's vehicle on August 30, 2024, in the city's Carrick neighborhood, and this week admitted to five federal charges tied to that shooting and a broader drug trafficking operation.
According to WTAJ, the DEA agent was conducting surveillance connected to an unrelated investigation when Gordon began following him. Per TribLIVE, the encounter began near Valera Avenue at around 1:20 p.m., with Gordon driving a red Dodge Ram pickup that trailed the agent's car onto Maytide Street, where Gordon opened fire. Valera Avenue was where Gordon lived and kept his drug stash, the outlet reported.
Ballistic investigators later recovered 10 spent 9mm cartridge cases at the Maytide Street shooting scene and five more shell casings inside the abandoned Dodge Ram, which turned up shortly afterward on nearby Queenston Street, the same account noted. The agent's car took multiple bullet strikes, but the agent was not injured.
Rapid Arrest Followed the Shooting
Allegheny County Police stopped a vehicle belonging to Gordon's brother not long after the shooting and found Gordon in the front passenger seat holding a key fob for the rented Dodge Ram, along with more than $3,000 in cash, the report states. He was held without bail as authorities considered him a flight risk and a threat to the community.
The same day, federal agents executed a search warrant at Gordon's residence and seized a 9mm Glock pistol fitted with a 50-round drum magazine, an empty 9mm magazine, and a .40-caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors confirmed one of the seized Glocks was used to fire at the agent. WTAJ reported the FBI also found over $10,000 in cash and more than $37,000 worth of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine inside the home.
Digital Evidence Sealed the Case
A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned a five-count superseding indictment against Gordon on December 3, 2024, formalizing charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, and firearm offenses, per the Justice Department. The investigation was jointly conducted by the FBI, DEA, and Pittsburgh Police.
Prosecutors built their case using cell phone location records, cell phone data extractions, neighborhood surveillance video, and vehicle telemetry data, according to WPXI. That digital trail placed Gordon's phone and rental truck at the exact time and location of the shooting. Carrick and neighboring Overbrook are residential areas in Pittsburgh's South Hills section where local and federal authorities frequently conduct targeted enforcement against street-level narcotics operations.
A Guilty Plea Ahead of Sentencing
Under the negotiated plea agreement reached this week, Gordon agreed to accept responsibility for trafficking 150 grams of fentanyl, 85 grams of crack cocaine, and 124 grams of powder cocaine, with the deal calling for a 20-year federal prison sentence. WTAJ reported that his convicted crimes carry at least 20 years up to life in prison, along with a fine of up to $6,000,000 or both imprisonment and a fine.
Announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Gordon attempted to murder the federal agent simply because the agent's surveillance route took him too close to Gordon's drug stash. WTAJ reported that Rivetti described Gordon as a violent and dangerous drug dealer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1114 and § 924(c), attempting to murder a federal officer carries up to life imprisonment, while discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum of 10 consecutive years, according to Daily Voice.
Senior U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti has scheduled Gordon's sentencing for December 23 in federal court, WTAJ reported. Hoodline previously covered the case when the grand jury indictment was announced in December 2024.
