Suspect arrested after man killed in shooting near Sophie's Saloon off of Brownsville Road
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A 28-year-old man was shot and killed on a porch behind Sophie's Saloon off Brownsville Road.
Investigators were called to respond to the area near Brownsville Avenue and Agnew Avenue in Carrick just after 1:30 a.m. for the shooting. Corey Rall, 25, turned himself in to police on Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
A witness told KDKA-TV that it was a "brutal" scene.
Taylor Brice is still processing the loss of his close friend, Cole Kerns. They grew up together in Carrick and remained in touch to this day.
"He was very good-hearted. He gave me the shirt off his back if he had to," Brice said. "Our group of friends like we were all close, we always stuck together."
The Allegheny County medical examiner said Kerns died in a shooting off Brownsville Road.
Investigators were called to respond to the area by Sophie's Saloon just after 1:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found Kerns on the business's back porch, shot in the head and shoulder. Medics pronounced him dead on the scene.
A witness told KDKA-TV about seven people were on the deck, and things appeared calm when all of a sudden, Kerns punched a man, who then took out a gun and shot Kerns two times before running down West Agnew.
Ryan Nutter lives above the saloon and pulled up minutes later to find police surrounding the neighborhood.
"It was all chaos," Nutter said.
At one point, Nutter heard a woman who was upset, speaking out loud.
"[She was saying,] 'you killed him,' you know, 'he was turning his life around,'" Nutter said.
Brice can't believe he's lost another friend to gun violence.
"He was doing good for himself, like I'm very surprised that this happened," Brice said. "Nobody has any morals anymore or respect."
He and others, including Darlene Johnson, who heard the shooting, want it to stop.
"We need to live our lives the way we want to live, safely, not worrying about guns," Johnson said.
For Nutter, it's a shame this happened at the saloon.
"It's a nice place. I mean, there's never really any trouble inside here," Nutter said. "It's a good local place."
Now, they all hope to get justice for the community and Kerns.
"No one should get away with that," Nutter said.
"[Kerns] has family. He has loved ones. Now his family got to bury him right before Christmas, and that's not a way to bring in a New Year or Christmas or nothing," Brice said.
KDKA-TV reached out to the owners of Sophie's Saloon for comment but has not heard back at this time.
Sources told KDKA-TV that the bar closed for the day on Sunday. No word when it will reopen.