Sixth person charged in deadly August shooting on N. Side

A sixth person is facing homicide charges in connection with a shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side last year.

Dayqual Allen, 20, of Pittsburgh, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and firearms violations in relation to the Aug. 7 shooting in the city’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood. Stephone Drayton, 40, was killed in the shooting and three people were injured.

Officers responded to the 1500 and 1700 blocks of Brighton Place after receiving six Shotspotter notifications that indicated a total of 55 rounds were fired around 9:50 p.m.

Surveillance footage obtained from the scene shows passengers in a Hyundai driving to the 1700 block of Brighton Place and shooting at a group of people, according to the complaint. A second vehicle, a Ford Escape, then pulls into the area. The occupants get out and begin shooting, officials said.

Police, who obtained a video chat between the occupants of the Ford Escape and an Allegheny County Jail inmate, believe Allen was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. During the video, he flashed the extended magazine of a pistol at the camera, the complaint reads.

He also texted his girlfriend around the time of the shooting, police said. At one point he wrote “we torched dem,” the complaint reads.

Allen was arrested in West View. Police found a gun and magazine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a phone belonging to Allen.

He was denied bail and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 17.

Five others are facing homicide and aggravated assault charges in relation to the case including Tylajae Allen and Andre Allen, both 21, Andrew Johnson, 26, Rayvon Poellnitz, 20, and Hezekiah Nixon, 17.

Nixon, who will be tried as an adult, is also facing charges connected to the Oct. 28 shooting outside the Destiny of Faith Church on Brighton Road during funeral services for homicide victim John Hornezes.