13-year-old charged in homicide of teenager in Clairton
Allegheny County police said they have charged a 13-year-old Clairton male in the shooting death of another teen Monday night in Clairton.
The shooting happened about 9:19 p.m. in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue, police said.
LaQuan Rich-Cabbagestalk, 13, is charged with homicide in connection with the death of 13-year-old Chase Jones. Rich-Cabbagestalk also has been charged with possession of a firearm by a minor, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said Rich-Cabbagestalk shot Jones in the head in a residence on Wilson Avenue.
According to the complaint, two witnesses told police they were playing on a Playstation in front of a bedroom TV, with Rich-Cabbagestalk and Jones behind them on the bed. They told police they heard a gunshot.
The first witness told police when they turned around Rich-Cabbagestalk had his hands on his head and said, “I shot him,” police wrote in the complaint. The second witness, police said, also recalled Rich-Cabbagestalk saying, “I’m sorry,” while holding a gun in his hand.
Rich-Cabbagestalk then ran out of the house and across an alley, the report said. One witness dialed 911, while the other said they chased the alleged shooter.
Clairton police found a Smith & Wesson Shield 9 mm firearm with a magazine and one spent cartridge casing jammed between the slide and the chamber in the area where Rich-Cabbagestalk ran after the shooting, according to the criminal complaint.
Rich-Cabbagestalk turned himself in to Allegheny County police on Tuesday morning, officials said, and is awaiting arraignment at Allegheny County Jail.
Rich-Cabbagestalk is enrolled in the Clairton School District, which closed Tuesday in response to the fatal shooting.
“Our condolences go out to all those involved,” Superintendent Tamara Allen-Thomas wrote in a message on the district’s website.
She urged families whose children might be in need of counseling services to reach out to their principal.
Anyone with information concerning the shooting can call the county police tip line 1-833-25-8477 (ALL-TIPS).
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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