Hazelwood man charged in Wilkinsburg shooting death

An 18-year-old Hazelwood man was charged Tuesday in the killing of another 18-yearold on Monday in Wilkinsburg.

Allegheny County police believe Deshere Davenport fatally shot Khalil Andrew Logan, 18, of Wilkinsburg, around 6 p.m. inside an abandoned building at 1679 Laketon Road.

Officers responded to a 911 call about shots fired and discovered Mr. Logan shot in the head and neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Before the shooting, Wilkinsburg police had extra officers patrolling the area because of other recent shootings, county police Lt. Andrew Schurman said. Those officers saw a man leaving the abandoned structure just before the 911 call.

After the shooting, the officers put out a description of that man, later identified as Mr. Davenport, and he was stopped not far from the scene by Penn Hills police officers, Lt.

Schurman said.

Wilkinsburg police Chief Ophelia Coleman said Tuesday that she directed her officers to conduct the extra patrols because five shootings had occurred in four days. She said officers will continue to be visible in coming days.

During an interview with county police, Mr. Davenport said he, Mr. Logan and about five other people were in the abandoned house.

Mr. Davenport said he thought Mr. Logan was trying to pull a gun and shoot him, so he drew his own weapon and fired first, according to the complaint.

Mr. Davenport said he then ran from the house and threw away his gun — a pink semi-automatic 9 mm handgun. Investigators found no evidence that Mr. Logan had a gun when he was shot, according to the complaint.

Mr. Davenport was arrested Tuesday and charged with homicide, carrying a firearm without a license and tampering with evidence. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing next Wednesday in City Court, Downtown.

A longtime friend of Mr. Logan’s, Journie Ledbetter, 17, said he and Mr. Logan attended Westinghouse Academy together, where Mr. Logan played on the football team.

“We had a meeting at the auditorium about it today and everybody was crying,” Journie said Tuesday.