McKeesport teen gets 2 to 4 years for involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting

A McKeesport teen accused of accidentally shooting and killing a friend last year will serve two to four years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter.

Phillip Payne, 17, admitted to shooting Dontae McKenith, 18, at McKenith’s mom’s house on Soles Street in McKeesport on July 24, 2021.

The prosecution said McKenith had several friends over that day, and Payne arrived early that morning carrying a black handgun in a fanny pack.

Once he got inside the house, Payne pulled out the gun, which had a green laser on it. Assistant District Attorney Nichole Onda said a witness saw Payne and McKenith joking around with the gun in the kitchen when Payne pointed it at McKenith, with the green laser trained on his head.

Payne then lowered the gun and pulled the trigger, with the bullet striking McKenith in the arm and traveling through his upper back, Onda said.

“No fighting or tension was reported by anyone on scene at the time of the incident,” Onda told Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos. “The witness indicated that the defendant was laughing just prior to pulling the trigger and appeared to look shocked after shooting Dontae.”

In addition to the prison term, Rangos ordered Payne to serve three years of probation.

McKenith’s mother, Marie McBride, told the court that her son considered Payne to be his friend, even though she warned him not to be friends with Payne.

“The role of being a friend is something Mr. Payne knew nothing about,” McBride said.

She criticized Payne and his behavior. After the shooting, Payne fled the home but turned himself in to McKeesport police about six hours later.

“Mr. Payne played with real guns while my son played video games,” McBride said. “I guess no one told Mr. Payne the life-changing impact once the trigger gets pulled. To call this an accident is unreal.”

McBride said her son’s siblings had to see him lying lifeless on the floor, including her 4-year-old daughter, who considered him to be her favorite person.

“A part of healing is forgiving, and while I’m still healing right now, my heart isn’t there yet,” McBride said. “All I’m left with is hurt and pain that is going to be a lifetime.”