City homicide detectives were searching for an armed robber who stepped out of the woods at West End Park in Elliott at 12:34 p.m. yesterday afternoon and, after a short verbal exchange at the upper basketball courts, shot a 24-year-old Oakland man multiple times. The suspect grabbed some of the victim's belongings and escaped into the woods.

The victim was conscious when he arrived at Allegheny General Hospital but died at 2:18 p.m, according to city homicide Detective William Fisher. Officials at the Allegheny County coroner's office did not immediately identify the victim.

Detectives believe the victim was talking with another man when the robber approached. The assailant was wearing a red football jersey and looked to be in his 20s, police said. Homicide investigators were hoping to find more witnesses who were in the park at the time of the shooting.