A man who was shot and killed after an argument with a neighbor in McKeesport on Tuesday night had already survived one shooting several years ago, his friends said.

Leroy "Poonie" Hughes, 29, tried to run from the shooter Tuesday, witnesses said. But a limp from his earlier injuries -- he had been hurt during a robbery -- slowed him down.

He was fatally wounded in the 1200 block of Evans Avenue and died on the way to UPMC McKeesport. The Allegheny County medical examiner's office said Mr. Hughes died of a gunshot wound to the torso.

"Poonie tried to get away, but he couldn't," said Dionne Rush, 34, a neighbor.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Thomas Davis Jr., another neighbor, in connection with the fatal shooting.

Before the incident, the two men exchanged harsh words because their children had been fighting in the street, witnesses said. Mr. Davis then ran in his house and came out with a gun.

Witnesses told police he fired as many as a dozen rounds at his neighbor.

Friends and neighbors described Mr. Hughes as a family man who loved to play with his children. He earned his nickname, short for "Winnie the Pooh," because he looked like a bear, weighing about 280 pounds.

Street Stars, a bar and grill where Mr. Hughes worked as a bartender, was raising money last night to help cover his funeral expenses.

Mr. Davis, 31, is a thinly built black man with dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a red shirt.

Anyone with information on Mr. Davis' whereabouts is asked to call Allegheny County police at 412-473-3000.