2 dead in shooting in Pittsburgh's Northview Heights neighborhood; 4 children unharmed
Four children were inside an apartment in Pittsburgh's Northview Heights neighborhood where police said a man and woman were found shot to death on Wednesday morning.
The children, ages 11, 9, 7, and 7, were inside the apartment on Hazlett Street at the time of the shooting, but were not hurt, officials said.
Police are working to learn what exactly happened between the two adults who died. The medical examiner identified the victims as 24-year-old Mark Allen Jones and 30-year-old Shaelynn Maria Moore.
A two-round ShotSpotter alert sent officers to the apartment around 9 a.m., and when they arrived, they found multiple shell casings outside the building. They said that indicates the shooting started outside and then continued inside the apartment.
However, police have said they do not yet know the relationship between the two adults they found dead, but investigators said there are indicators that something happened prior to the shooting.
"Witnesses did disclose to police that there was some kind of domestic altercation prior to the shooting taking place. Again, what that level of specificity is in terms of the relationship between the two is still unclear," said Pittsburgh Public Safety's Emily Bourne.
Police believe the four children are the woman's children. None of them were injured.
"Those children were all safely transported to Children's Hospital preventively," Bourne said. "They will undergo forensic interviews at a later time."
While police do not know who fired the shots, they did indicate that they are investigating the possibility of a murder-suicide, but would not confirm that at the scene.
"At this time, we have no outstanding individuals in this case," Bourne said. "The scene is secure. There is no ongoing threat to the public and I would leave it at that."
