Pittsburgh-Area Man Wanted In 2016 Murder Of 17-Year-Old Arrested In Michigan
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh-area man wanted for the 2016 murder of a 17-year-old boy was arrested in Michigan on Thursday.
The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety says authorities arrested 19-year-old Emere Mason in Pontiac, Mich., on Thursday.
Mason is accused of murdering 17-year-old Rashawn Gibson in Sheraden on Dec. 20, 2016.
Gibson was found on the porch of a home on Glen Mawr Street where he was later pronounced dead. Relatives say the home where he was found was a friend's home.
Gibson was a 12th grader and a member of the Pittsburgh Brashear school community. He was planning on attending college.
Following the arrest, Gibson's friends said they just wanted to focus remember what they've lost.
"He's watching over us. He already knows what we're doing. Been doing good since he's been gone. We still good," said Gibson's best friend who didn't want to be identified. "Long live Ray-Ray."
Gibson's family members released this statement a few months ago:
"Dec. 20, 2016, shook our whole family. We were practicing driving so he could get his permit. He loved his family and friends with all his heart, this tragedy, we as a family would not wish on anyone. We pray for the boy's family that took our Rashawn as well."
Mason was charged in Gibson's death in November of 2017.
According to a criminal complaint, Mason was found inside an abandoned house after Gibson's shooting, and he was detained along with an unidentified witness. The witness told officers he saw Mason and a man referred to as "Ray Ray" at the intersection of Glen Mawr Street and Narcissus Avenue, and Mason told the witness he and "Ray Ray" were about to fight.
The witness told police Mason pulled out a gun, and the witness heard several shots as he was running away. Mason reportedly told the witness, "I think I shot him in the stomach."
Mason will be extradited to Pittsburgh. He is facing criminal homicide charges.