Arrest made in fatal Penn Hills shooting
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A man was shot to death on Oct. 12 in Penn Hills, Allegheny County Police reported.
Police responded to a shooting around 3:20 p.m. along the 9000 block of Frankstown Road.
First responders found a man who had been shot. He was dead at the scene. The victim was identified as Jahlil Smith, 26.
Police said first responders found Smith lying next to a mountain bike, having been shot multiple times. Police said they removed a 9mm handgun that had been hanging from a cord around his neck.
Dominic Saunders, 23, of Penn Hills was charged in connection with the shooting.
Witnesses at the scene told police they had seen a Black man in a gray hooded sweatshirt and gray pants running away from the scene. They described him as a heavier man wearing orange shoes and an orange hat.
An officer found a man matching the description, later identified as Saunders, moments later on Gilmore Avenue. When the officer stopped him, he found an extended ammunition magazine for a semi-automatic handgun in Saunders’s fanny pack.
Police said cameras nearby also place Saunders near the scene at the time of the shooting.
It appeared that he had been running through a wooded area near where he was found by police. Officers reported burrs on his clothing and leaves in his shoes. They located an orange ski mask style hat similar to what witnesses had described in a search of the wooded area.
Saunders is charged with criminal homicide. He was arrested and taken to Allegheny County Jail for arraignment.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 833-ALL-TIPS (833-255-8477). Callers can remain anonymous.