Local News

Penn Hills H.S. Student Gunned Down Outside Middle School

/ CBS Pittsburgh

PENN HILLS (KDKA) -- A teenager is dead after a shooting outside of a middle school in Penn Hills Tuesday afternoon.

The initial call came in just after 4:30 p.m. along Aster Street, in the rear parking lot outside of Linton Middle School.

Penn Hills School District officials have identified the victim as 16-year-old Deven J. Holloway of Penn Hills. He was a 10th grader at Penn Hills High School.

Holloway's body was found near a parked silver car, by the basketball court. Police said later they found a handgun near the body, but it was unclear who the weapon belonged to.

Allegheny County Police say they have questioned several people in connection with the shooting, but no charges have been filed.

Late Tuesday night, one of the passengers in the vehicle involved in the shooting turned himself in to police. That person's attorney says his client is cooperating with police.

"This is a very, very serious situation. My client wanted to cooperate to the extent that he can at this juncture. This was not something that was intentional in any way, shape or form. All I can tell you at this juncture is my client is upstairs, he is cooperating as much as he can," said attorney Phil DiLucente.

That 22-year-old man from Plum has been released from custody.

KDKA's Brenda Waters Reports:

KDKA Radio producer Timira Rush-Cox was at the school because her daughter, in the eighth grade, was playing in a volleyball game.

Rush-Cox told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti, "My daughter said to me, 'Mom, I thought I heard gunshots.' Her exact words. But I said to myself, 'No, not in school.' But, unfortunately, she was correct. She heard gunshots."

Police taped off a large portion of the parking lot outside of the gym for much of the evening. A white van was seen outside the school around the time the gunfire rang out. Police were looking for that vehicle.

"As I was standing there watching, I saw the police had arrived at that time and they yellow taped the crime scene and my car is part of the crime scene because I was parked outside right where the incident took place," said Rush-Cox.

KDKA's Marty Griffin Reports:

Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton said there was a group of fifth graders near a school door when the gunfire rang out. They heard the shots and counted them, but they stayed inside the incident.

An orchestra concert and a middle school volleyball game, both scheduled for Tuesday night, were canceled as police continued their investigation.

Because of the shooting, all Wednesday classes were also cancelled in the Penn Hills School District, so "families can make sense of the shooting tragedy."

Some parents, including Rush-Cox, were already on campus for that volleyball game when the shooting happened.

"The schools are supposed to be safe zones for our children," she said. "We're supposed to feel comfortable. We're supposed to feel at ease. What happened today has totally devastated me. Simply because I am here, I witnessed it, I'm part of it. My daughter is upset."

The Penn Hills School Board has released this statement following the shooting:

"The Board of Directors of the Penn Hills School District extends their deepest sympathies to the family of the student killed today and shares the sadness with all the families of Penn Hills students. We have directed the schools to be closed so that our families can begin to make sense of this tragedy. We have directed grief counseling to be available to students and staff for as long as needed. The Board will hold a prayer vigil tomorrow at 6 pm at Linton Middle School."

The Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit and Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office are assisting Penn Hills Police in the investigation.

They are asking anyone who heard or saw anything in the vicinity of the school around the time of the shooting to contact Allegheny County Police.

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