A McKees Rocks man paralyzed ever since he became one of the victims of a 2016 massacre in Wilkinsburg that left six people dead died Tuesday from complications of his condition, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.
John Ellis, 51, was pronounced dead at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh.
The medical examiner did not formally announce the manner of death Tuesday evening.
Ellis was shot twice at a backyard barbecue on March 9, 2016, along the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue in Wilkinsburg.
Nearly 50 shots were fired that night, according to investigators.
Two gunmen opened fire on the gathering killing five people and an unborn child and wounding three others, including Ellis. He was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the incident.
Cheron Shelton, 33, of Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood and Robert Thomas, 31, were charged with six counts of homicide in connection with the shooting.
Those killed in the attack included: Jerry Shelton, 35; Brittany Powell, 27; and Chanetta Powell, 25; their cousin, Tina Shelton, 37; family friend Shada Mahone, 26; and Chanetta Powell’s unborn son, Demetrius.
Shelton was acquitted of murder this past February. However, he was indicted by a grand jury for being a felon allegedly possessing a gun.
Charges against Thomas were also dismissed in February.
