5th person charged in North Side shooting that left 1 dead, 3 injured
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A fifth person has been charged with homicide in connection with a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh's North Side over the summer.
20-year-old Rayvon Poellnitz is facing one count of criminal homicide, in addition to aggravated assault, conspiracy, and firearms charges. Poellnitz is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on other firearms charges from earlier this year.
Officers were called to Brighton Place on the night of Aug. 7 after receiving multiple Shotspotter alerts for several rounds fired.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found multiple victims who had been shot.
40-year-old Stephone Drayton was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Three other individuals were injured.
Four other individuals have been arrested and charged with homicide in connection with the shooting.
25-year-old Andrew Johnson of Coraopolis and 21-year-old Tylajae Allen were both arrested in August and each face homicide and aggravated assault charges.
21-year-old Andre Allen was arrested in October and is facing the same charges.
Earlier this month, KDKA learned that a fourth suspect, 16-year-old Hezekiah Nixon was charged with homicide in the shooting as well.
Nixon is also charged in a shooting that left five people injured outside of a funeral service.
The service at Destiny of Faith Church along Brighton Road was being held for 20-year-old John Hornezes, Jr., one of the victims of a mass shooting along Cedar Avenue, where he, along with two women, who were innocent bystanders, were shot and killed.
Police say that a gun that was allegedly thrown into the Ohio River after the shooting outside the service was used to help connect him to the earlier homicide.
KDKA sources say that the shootings may have been retaliation in what is being called 'an escalating conflict.'
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