Charges dropped against teen arrested in Kennywood shooting
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) - The charges against a teen arrested in connection with a shooting at Kennywood have been dropped.
Darryl Pirl, 15, was charged as an adult with aggravated assault, firearms violations and recklessly endangering another person. A judge dismissed all charges against him at a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Investigators said Pirl was grazed in the thigh during the shooting and was initially seen by first responders before he ran away and later showed up at the hospital for treatment. Another teen and a man were also injured in the shooting during Phantom Fall Fest on Sept. 24.
But there were no eyewitnesses who identified Pirl, no video that showed him opening fire and no proof that he was anywhere but laying on the ground and tending to his wound when someone allegedly dropped a gun in a nearby trash can.
Pirl's defense attorney Ken Haber claimed the prosecution's case came down to a theory and not evidence. The judge decided the government's evidence didn't meet the burden of proof to take Pirl to trial.
Haber said his client was just a kid at Kennywood with his friends and he became a victim himself, first with a bullet grazing and then when prosecutors turned him from victim into suspect.
"The commonwealth's case was quite frankly smoke and mirrors," Haber said. "The evidence to me suggested that Darryl was a young innocent 15-year-old who was victimized while he was at Kennywood and we're definitely pleased that the judge made the decision he made."
Police said they were still searching for another suspect after Pirl was arrested. Detectives believe a feud between two groups of teens from different parts of the area is what ultimately sparked the gunfire.
After the shooting, the park announced new safety measures including increased police support, perimeter enhancements, chaperone policy updates, park entrance policies and a new bag policy.
