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Wilkinsburg man critically wounded

Friday, January 10, 2003

By Dan Gigler, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Two people were shot and killed and a third was critically injured in separate incidents around Allegheny County last night, all in the space of about three hours.

The deadly night began shortly before 6 p.m. in Homewood, followed by another fatal shooting in McKeesport and then the wounding in Wilkinsburg.

In the first homicide, city police were looking for suspects in the ambush-style slaying of a man as he sat in his car after leaving a Homewood deli.

The Allegheny County coroner's office identified the victim as Russell Jones, 20, of Homewood. Jones was shot multiple times at 5:51 p.m. in the 7000 block of Hamilton Avenue.

The victim had parked his black sedan and gone into Mika's Market, 7003 Hamilton Ave., to get some takeout sandwiches. When he returned to his car and got in, he was shot in the upper chest. He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian, where he died at 6:30 p.m.

Detective Dennis Logan said that an assailant or assailants lay in wait in a vacant lot next to the market and ambushed the man once he was in his car.

The lot was thick with tall, overgrown weeds which would have provided sufficient cover for a suspect.

Despite the shooting taking place in the middle of a residential street, police said that no witnesses have stepped forward.

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting but had no immediate suspects last night.

Few details were available on the other two shootings.

Thomas Holmes, 44, of McKeesport, was shot and killed with a gunshot to the head around 8:15 p.m.

The shooting happened on Walnut Street in McKeesport.

The third shooting occurred at an apartment building at 828 Rebecca Ave. in Wilkinsburg.

The victim was found in the front yard of the building and was shot multiple times, said Assistant County Police Superintendent James Morton. The victim was taken to UPMC Presbyterian where he was in critical condition.

Police were called to the scene around 9 p.m.