Pittsburgh teen charged with homicide in shooting death of woman
Homicide charges have been filed in a shooting that left a woman dead in Pittsburgh's Crafton Heights neighborhood earlier this month.
According to a criminal complaint provided to KDKA-TV, 52-year-old Samantha Howells died after she was found shot inside her car at Corlis Street and Chartiers Avenue on June 4. Police now said that 19-year-old Isreal Moseby shot the woman at close range.
Police said security cameras captured Howells driving down the road and stopping at the business she owned with her husband to confront Moseby and two other people. She was worried they were stealing from wrecked cars on the property, officials said.
Court documents said Howells walked up to them while taking pictures, and that is when Moseby allegedly turned her around, forced Howells back into her car, and shot her.
Suspect already wanted for violent crimes
Moseby was previously charged in 2023, when he was 17 years old, with stabbing a woman in the neck in a home on the North Side.
At that time, he was charged as an adult with multiple felonies. However, according to court records, the preliminary hearing in that case has been delayed 18 times.
Sources told KDKA that Moseby never showed up for his first court hearing. Police said an arrest warrant was issued for Moseby after he skipped court for the stabbing and robbery.
KDKA asked a spokesperson for Allegheny County Courts why officers couldn't find him and was told they weren't going to comment on a pending case.
Moseby was scheduled to appear in court on the 2023 charges later this month.
Shooting shocks the community
When Howells was found shot in her car, officers found her and began administering CPR until medics arrived. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The shooting came as a shock to residents, especially since it happened along a heavily-traveled route near rush hour.
"Oh my goodness. It's so sad. I don't know what's going on in the world. When I heard that woman got killed, I'm very nervous," said resident Chelsey Harris. "My daughter goes to school right around the corner, so I'm nervous. She missed school today, so I'm glad."
