Pittsburgh Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit detectives, backed by SWAT, tracked down a homicide suspect in Penn Hills on September 5, closing out a weeks-long search connected to a deadly shooting in the Hill District. Jamaal Cook, 38, of Pittsburgh, was taken into custody without incident, according to police.
Cook faces homicide and gun charges in connection with the July 24 killing of Deven Anthony Turner, according to community.triblive.com. Pittsburgh police announced the arrest in a post on X from the department's official account, Pittsburgh Police
, which confirmed Cook was taken into custody without incident.
Turner, 35, was fatally shot on Bedford Avenue in the Bedford Dwellings housing development, according to the same report. He was shot multiple times, including in the back, and died at UPMC Mercy hospital roughly 30 minutes after first responders brought him there, per the outlet's account.
Casings, Video and a Witness Tie Cook to the Scene
Investigators said Cook fired three times, and officers later recovered three bullet casings at the scene, the report states. Video footage allegedly captured Cook running from the scene, and a witness identified the person in that footage as Cook, according to the same account.
Notably, the city's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system did not report the early-morning gunfire to Pittsburgh police, though a SoundThinking employee later found sounds resembling gunfire at 3:07 a.m., the report notes. That gap in the technology meant the shooting wasn't immediately flagged through the automated system that typically alerts officers to gunfire in real time.
Arrest, Charges and Jail Status
Pittsburgh police arrested Cook and took him to the Allegheny County Jail, where bail was denied, per the same account. Cook was charged with criminal homicide, possession of a firearm prohibited, and firearms not to be carried without a license.
The September 5 arrest in Penn Hills followed the coordinated effort by Fugitive Apprehension Unit detectives and SWAT, who located Cook and took him into custody without incident. With Cook now held at the Allegheny County Jail without bail, the case moves forward through Allegheny County's court system, though a complete charging document was not available for review.
