Confrontation inside Western Pennsylvania community center near IUP campus led to mass shooting, state police said
WHITE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A fight between several people inside the Chevy Chase Community Center in Indiana County led to last weekend's mass shooting that left one person dead and eight other people injured, state police said.
State police investigators said they are not releasing any information on suspects at this time "in an effort to protect the integrity of the investigation."
However, they said a confrontation prompted the shooting and innocent bystanders attending a large private party at the community center were struck in the gunfire.
Investigators are working to determine if the people involved in the confrontation were invited to the party, state police said.
Earlier this week, the Indiana County Coroner's Office identified the victim who died as 22-year-old Jamar Montae Porterfield Herriot Jr. of Homestead.
State police said the most critically injured victim in the shooting, an 18-year-old man from Chicago, is expected to survive.
The names of those who were injured are not being released right now due to safety concerns, investigators said. The rest of the victims are either in stable condition or have been released from the hospital.
- Jamar Montae Porterfield Herriot, Jr., 22, of Homestead, PA (deceased)
- Male, 18, of Chicago, Illinois
- Male, 18, of Arcadia, Florida
- Male, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Male, 19, of Braddock, Pennsylvania
- Male, 22, of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania
- Female, 19, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Female, 23, of Pennsylvania (unconfirmed hometown)
- Female, 19, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Two Indiana University of Pennsylvania students are among those who were shot. It was homecoming weekend at the nearby campus.
"It's sad it happened on homecoming because it's such an exciting weekend and exciting time," IUP sophomore Mia Hutchinson told KDKA-TV on Wednesday.
While it was homecoming weekend for IUP, state police say the shooting was not linked to the college festivities. The FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals, and multiple police departments, including from out of state, are involved in the investigation.
"It's definitely a little unsettling knowing the person is still out there," one student told KDKA-TV's Shelley Bortz.
"It's really scary this can happen to anyone," another student said.
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Students who need mental health assistance can call IUP's counseling center at 724- 357-2621 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They also have walk-in hours at the Center Monday through Friday from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers and the ATF are offering a combined $15,000 reward for the identification of the gunmen. People can anonymously call PA crime stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS.
Anyone who has information on the shooting is asked to step forward to state police. People can call the Indiana barracks at 724-357-1960.