Pittsburgh police respond to gunshots fired near 2 Downtown schools
Police responded Tuesday afternoon to gunfire in front of two Downtown Pittsburgh schools.
The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Penn Avenue, in front of Urban Pathways K-5 College Charter School and Passport Academy Charter School.
“At this time it is not known what led to the gunfire, but police detained two males who are being questioned in relation to the incident,” Public Safety officials said in a news release.
At least two bullets struck Passport Academy, one on the sidewalk outside and one on the front door, according to police markings. Officers recovered shell casings. There were no reports of injuries.
School buses were taking alternate routes to pick up children on the block Tuesday, as police shut down a section of Penn Avenue.
Several Downtown schools, including Urban Pathways and Pittsburgh CAPA, were on lockdown for about 20 minutes when the incident was called in, Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesperson Ebony Pugh told the Tribune-Review.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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