Police arrest man accused of shooting at vehicles along McKnight Road
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - Police in Ross Township said they arrested a man who opened fire on five innocent people along McKnight Road earlier this month.
Martinel Humphries was already behind bars, accused of another shooting that same day.
Police said Humphries shot at multiple vehicles along McKnight Road, injuring two people, one seriously.
And they believe the situation could have been a lot worse.
"It's been said over and over, we're amazed we don't have a bunch of dead bodies," one official later said.
It was shortly after 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Jan. 5 when police said Martinel Humphries went on a shooting rampage in Ross Township, seemingly for no reason.
Police said Humphries, 28, parked his car on Nelson Run Road, which is a side street to McKnight Road and gives a height advantage over the roadway.
He then got out of his car with an assault rifle, according to the criminal complaint, and fired on two people who were standing outside their cars on the side of McKnight Road.
"At that point, those two people scrambled from the area and eventually made it to their cars and drove away. The male who was shot in the back was one of the people who were there on the side of the road talking. He survived his injuries and is recovering," Chief Deputy Brian Kohlhepp said.
A car traveling north on McKnight was also in the line of fire and took a shot through the passenger-side window. The woman in that car received minor injuries from broken glass.
Another car traveling northbound and one traveling southbound were also hit, luckily no one in those cars was injured.
And lastly, a car parked on the side of McKnight Road was also hit by gunfire.
"There is no known association between the shooter and the victims who were shot at. We have no indication he knew any of them. It seems like this was just a completely random act of violence."
Just minutes before the McKnight shooting, police said Humphries fired four shots at a postal carrier on Waldorf Street in Perry North.
Officials told KDKA descriptions from witnesses, video surveillance, and shell casings connect Humphries to both shootings.
"We have forensic evidence thanks to Dr. Karl Williams, the medical examiner, and his team there at the crime lab were able to expedite these shell casings so that we could quickly make an arrest in this case."
Humphries is in the Allegheny County Jail facing attempted homicide charges.