Pittsburgh Mayor asks for public's help to get guns off streets amid Brighton Heights shooting

It will take a community effort to curb gun violence, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Sunday, days after a shooting at a Brighton Heights church injured six people attending a funeral.

The mayor implored the public to share information with local officials and do their part to stem the escalating violence.

This comes after Pittsburgh police arrested Shawn Davis, 19, of McKees Rocks and Hezekiah Nixon, 16, of Pittsburgh in connection with Friday’s shooting. The pair are facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault and gun charges.

Police said the teenagers on Friday fired multiple shots outside the Destiny of Faith Church, where people were attending a funeral service for John Hornezes Jr., of the North Side. Hornezes was one of three people killed earlier this month in a shooting near Allegheny Commons.

Gainey declined to comment on the details of the investigation, but said he was proud of the police and their efforts on the case.

Pittsburgh police found a gun Sunday morning matching the description of the one used in Friday’s shooting. The gun was reported stolen out of Shaler.

Police have not reported a motive for the shootings.

Gainey met with the victims and their families, he said, but he declined to provide any updates on their conditions.

The mayor said the biggest issue now is determining how people — particularly juveniles — are getting the illegal firearms used to perpetuate violence across the city.

“Young people getting these guns is a problem,” he said.

Officials do not have any leads yet regarding where juveniles are obtaining firearms, the mayor said. He implored the community to help by providing any information they may have that could help police in investigating recent shootings or getting illegal guns off the street.

“We need everyone to come forward,” Gainey said. “If you know somebody who’s running guns, we need to know. We need a partnership. We need to have an understanding of where they’re getting these guns from.”

Related:

• Police recover gun from river matching description of firearm used in Brighton Heights shootings

• Police: 6 people shot outside Brighton Heights church

• 2 women killed in North Side shooting were innocent bystanders, police say; 3rd victim ID'd

He thanked the community for providing “a lot of information” regarding the recent Brighton Heights shooting.

Amid escalating gun violence, the mayor said he’ll need community support — and buy-in from nonprofits, businesses and other local organizations — to tackle the issue from all angles. Part of the solution may be legislation and other work from the government, he said, but community leaders and families also have a role to play.

“This is just too many guns to have on our streets, getting in the hands of our youth,” Gainey said. “Growing up, I never could’ve gotten a gun. Now, it’s like getting a bag of potato chips.”