2 charged in McKees Rocks double homicide

A fight between two groups of people sparked the shooting early Friday in McKees Rocks that left two people dead and three others injured, according to police.

The shooting happened just after 2:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Club Erotica on Island Avenue, said Allegheny County Police Lt. Venerando Costa.

Two men, identified as Seth McDermit, 31, and Christopher Butler, 22, were shot and killed, authorities said. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Three others – two men and one woman – were injured in the shooting. One of those injured was 24-year-old Charles Becher, who is charged with homicide in connection with McDermit’s death, Costa said. Becher shot himself in the leg at some point during the shooting, police said.

Police charged 25-year-old Khalil Walls in connection with Butler’s killing.

Costa said the shooting stemmed from an altercation between two groups of people, and “two individuals produced handguns and fired them.”

He did not indicate whether the alleged shooters or the victims were from different groups involved in the altercation.

Aaron Aupperlee, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Health Department, said that, to the department’s knowledge, Club Erotica was not open.

He said the club is not licensed as a food establishment. Current Pennsylvania covid-19 mitigation measures dictate that establishments must require a food order alongside any alcohol order. The club submitted plans in October to receive a health permit, Aupperlee said, but “those plans were found not to be in compliance with health regulations.”

Aupperlee noted there had been complaints about the club, and it received two cease-and-desist letters last year: one in September and one in November.

Club Erotica’s owners could not be reached for comment Friday.

The club was open at the time of the shootings, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI.

Citing court documents, WPXI reported that police interviewed one of the shooting victims at Allegheny General Hospital. He told them he visited the club with McDermit, Butler and others.

At some point, his friends stepped outside to smoke. A few minutes later, a fight started with several women. The man told police he knew one of the women and told her to calm down.

A man then pulled out a gun, according to the court documents. Someone tackled the gunman and another man started shooting, the unnamed victim told police. Once the shooting started, he told police he ran toward the McKees Rocks Bridge and was struck by a round in the arm.

According to WPXI, police also interviewed Becher, one of the suspects. Becher told police one of his cousins came inside the club and told him some people in his group were in a fight. He said he went outside and told police there were four to five guys in the parking lot “threatening to beat them and kill them,” according to the news station.

According to court documents, Becher told police he stepped between a man and a woman in his group.. The man pulled up his shirt, revealing a gun, Becher told police. Becher said he then pulled out his gun, which he has a permit for. He said he shoved the man, was knocked to the ground before hearing gunshots.

He said he picked up his gun from the ground and fired at a group of men attacking him, according to WPXI.

Helen Mannarino, owner of Pierogies Plus on Island Avenue, said, “It’s a bad event for our area here, for our neighborhood.”

She said she’s been a business owner in the borough for 30 years, and she believes the area is a safe one. She said she worries, though, that shootings like Friday morning’s will give potential customers pause.

“It’s going to affect the business because it’s more of a bad reputation for our area here,” Mannarino said. “We are suffering with a bad reputation, which is not necessarily true. Whatever the reputation is, people are leery to come to McKees Rocks.”

Mike Manko, a spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., said Friday afternoon the office plans to reach out to Club Erotica ownership.

He called the shooting “extremely concerning.”

“Our office will be reaching out to the owners to schedule a meeting and discuss the operation of that establishment and any impacts on public safety it is having on that business district and community,” Manko said.