Man shot dead after breaking into home of relatives

Springdale Twp. kin said to be the shooter

A 39-year-old man was shot to death Sunday morning as he was breaking into the Springdale Township home in which he was raised. And the shooter was a relative.

Allegheny County Police issued a news release Sunday afternoon explaining that the residents of the house on Butler Road had notified Allegheny County Emergency Dispatch that a home invasion “by a known person” was under way at about 10:05 a.m. and that shots had been fired.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office late Sunday identified the deceased man as Joseph Secora.

Police said Mr. Secora’s motive for the home invasion was unknown, “however, it is believed [he] had mental health issues.”

No one had been charged with shooting him. Police did not identify who resides in the house that Mr. Secora was breaking into — the house where he was raised — but neighbors said his sister, Susan Cain, 54, lives there with her adult son, James. Recently, the siblings’ father, Paul Secora III, died. He had lived in the house prior to his death.

“I’ve known [Joseph Secora] all [his] life. It’s very sad,” said Kathleen Haas, a neighbor.

Mr. Secora was pronounced

dead in a field across Butler Road from the family home. His SUV, which appeared to have damage from a collision, was parked in the driveway of his sister’s home.

Ms. Haas said it was about 10 a.m. when her husband “saw police running through the yards.”

The news release from county police said, without naming Mr. Secora, that he had run across Butler Road after he was shot. He was discovered across the street, lying in a field with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at that scene shortly afterward, police said.

Police said a resident of the home shot the intruder “during the invasion after breaking through a rear glass door and entering the home.”

Police also noted: “No arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing.”

Ms. Haas said she “watched Joey grow up. I’m so disappointed how things turned out for him.”

She said he had had some “troubles” that she didn’t want to publicly discuss, adding, “This was a good and loving family. It’s a shame.”

A second neighbor, who asked that her name not be published, said she had known the siblings since their childhood.

“Sad. Really sad,” she said.

It’s the second time the Secora family lost a child to gun violence. When Joseph Secora was 2 years old, his 15- year- old brother, Tommy Secora, was killed with a doublebarrel shotgun at the home of a 14-year-old friend. He had been shot in the head in what was described as an accidental shooting. Tommy had been a sophomore at Springdale High School at the time.