Teen charged with attempted homicide as Pittsburgh officials look for ways to curb South Side violence

A violent night on Pittsburgh’s South Side led to attempted homicide charges against a 15-year-old boy, assault charges against two others, and the announcement of coming changes to traffic flow on East Carson Street, officials said Friday.

Three people were shot early Friday near East Carson and South 18^th streets. While officers investigated at the scene, another man was arrested after police said he assaulted an officer and tried to take his gun.

Public safety officials tried to address the issue weeks ago with increased patrols that were intended to keep patrons from congregating on sidewalks and walking into traffic.

“The problem is, in my opinion, we could put 30, 40 more officers (on the streets) and we’d still have the same problem,” Hissrich said Friday morning.

Friday’s shooting came less than a week after another South Side shooting left a man in critical condition. A man has been charged in that incident.

Police did not immediately name the 15-year-old charged in the latest shooting, but said he is from Clairton and will be charged as an adult with attempted homicide and reckless endangerment.

Plans for limiting traffic on East Carson Street are not finalized, Hissrich said. The Public Safety Department has been working with PennDOT, city Public Works and elected officials. A plan is expected to be announced next week.

Hissrich said officials had planned to take more time to come up with a plan, but the early-morning violence expedited the process.

Hissrich said he went to the scene shortly after the latest shooting and saw bystanders hassling and, in one instance, assaulting police. Hissrich said after an officer saw a man punch another person, knocking the victim unconscious, the officer pursued the man and a woman with him and a scuffle ensued.

“The suspect lost his weapons and failed to obey the officer’s commands and started reaching for the officer’s weapon,” he said. “While that was occurring, the female accomplice was punching the officer.”

He said those types of incidents are becoming a regular occurrence.

“It doesn’t matter if the officers are there or not, there’s just ongoing violence,” Hissrich said.

That particular incident led to charges against Kerwan Highsmith, 27, of Homestead, and La’Qrisha Williams, 30, of Pittsburgh. Police wrote in a criminal complaint that they saw Highsmith punch another man in the face and then take off running when he realized officers had watched the scene unfold.

As officers tried to take Highsmith into custody, police wrote in the complaint, he grabbed at one officer’s gun. While that was happening, the complaint said Williams appeared and punched an officer in the face. The punch left the officer with a swollen cheek and cuts and scrapes. That same officer’s wrist also was injured during the struggle with Highsmith.

Highsmith is charged with aggravated assault, disarming an officer, firearms violations, resisting arrest and escape. Williams is charged with aggravated assault and obstructing law enforcement.

“I will not repeat what was being said to the officers,” Hissrich said. “It’s almost like certain people want to escalate the situation and pick a fight with officers.”

Shatara Murphy, Public Safety’s deputy director of community affairs, stressed that what is happening on the South Side is a people problem.

“I want to emphasize that this is not a business issue,” Murphy said. “This is not an issue with our bars, our restaurants, our entertainment venues on the South Side. This is an issue of conduct.”

She noted that, in the past, East Carson Street was a destination mainly for those 21 and older, which in some way limited the number of people who could flock to the area.

“We have a lot of under 21 individuals who are frequenting the South Side just to hang out because they have nothing to do,” Murphy said.