2 victims stable after shooting outside Greensburg bar; suspect sought

Two men injured in a weekend shooting outside a downtown Greensburg bar remained in stable condition Monday as city police continue to search for a suspect who fired on them.

According to police, the gunfire happened just before 2 a.m. Sunday outside the Rialto Bar and Bistro on West Otterman Street, on the next block down from The Palace Theatre. No one at the Rialto could be reached for comment.

Investigators believe the incident began with an argument inside the bar between the suspect and one of the wounded men, Greensburg police Capt. Shawn Denning said. The suspect might have been hiding outside the establishment for as long as an hour before shooting at his intended target, he said.

The other victim, a bystander, “was walking with a cane and wasn’t able to get out of the way,” Denning said.

Denning said police as of Monday morning had not interviewed the man who is believed to have been the target of the shooting. He was wounded in both legs and was undergoing surgery.

One victim was taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, the other to Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg, police said.

Investigators are working to collect surveillance video from surrounding locations and continue to seek information about the suspect.

Other evidence police were examining included as many as a dozen shell casings collected from the scene and glass that was damaged by a slug in the walkway over Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Westmoreland County Courthouse and the Courthouse Annex building.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at 724-834-3800. Those providing tips can remain anonymous.

“We’re going to be stepping up our police presence in the area, especially when the bar lets out and throughout the weekend, to make sure citizens feel safe there,” Denning said. “Hopefully, we’ll be working hand in hand with the manager at the bar.”