Arrest warrant issued for man charged in 2013 shooting of 15-month-old boy in East Hills

A second man faces charges for the deadly 2013 shooting that killed an infant at a family picnic in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, court records show.

Marcus White Jr., whose nickname Baby Marcus became a rallying cry against gun violence after his killing, was 15 months old when multiple people opened fire on several dozen people gathered in a picnic area behind an East Hills housing complex.

More than eight years after the May 2013 shooting, Desaun Watson has been charged with homicide in the shooting, according to court records. Just under a year ago, in June 2020, police filed homicide charges against Gregory Parker in connection with the same shooting.

According to the criminal complaint, an unnamed witness who admitted to police he was part of the shooting implicated Watson.

The unnamed man, referred to only as Witness 1, was questioned by police in March 2021 alongside his attorneys, Christopher Patarini and Jeanne Emhoff, according to the complaint.

Witness 1 told detectives he was at an East Hills party May 20, 2013 – one day prior to the shooting that killed White Jr. and wounded two of his aunts, police wrote. The witness said he was with a group known as the “Braddock Boys,” and they spotted a man called Hipp that had sold fake codeine. The witness said Watson, known as “Homi,” pistol whipped Hipp,. Gunfire ensued, but no one was injured.

The next day, the witness said, he was at a home on Standard Avenue with several other, including his cousin, Dayjohn ‘Day-Day’ Parker, and Watson. He said someone received word that Hipp was at an East Hills picnic, according to the complaint, at which point the witness, the witness’s cousin, Watson and another man headed for East Hills Drive.

The four circled the area and then doubled back, according to the complaint. The witness said he, Dayjohn Parker and Watson got out of the car and started shooting into the crowd, though he noted that he did not specifically see their target, Hipp.

When they stopped shooting, the four took off, having shot two women. One of them was Shedaya Tyler, White Jr.’s aunt. She picked up the infant and ran when the shooting started, police have said. She was shot in the back, and the bullets went through her and killed her nephew.

Watson is charged with homicide, conspiracy, firearms violations and four counts of aggravated assault, according to court records. This court docket indicated Watson was not in the Allegheny County Jail as of 10:30 a.m.

Gregory Parker’s case continues to work its way through the court system. He was formally arraigned Jan. 22, and a judge granted a motion for continuance. It was not clear who requested the continuance – Assistant District Attorney Michael Ball or Parker’s defense attorney, Christopher Patarini.