Pittsburgh police evacuate residents amid ongoing active shooting: live updates – The Independent

Active shooting in Pittsburgh prompts shelter-in-place orderSign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest newsSign up to our free US Evening Headlines emailPolice in Pittsburgh are responding to an active shooter situation in the neighbourhood of Garfield, the Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted.At approximately 11am ET on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Public Safety urged residents to avoid the area of the 4800 block of Broad Street and North Mathilda Street due to a shooting.“This is an extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired,” they wrote on Twitter/X about 20 minutes into the incident.A reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that “hundreds of rounds” were being fired and multiple law enforcement divisions were responding to the incident.Nearly an hour later, around 12pm ET, officers began to evacuate residents in homes nearby and guide them away from the shooting and to safety.The shooting began after deputies from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office went to serve an eviction notice to a resident when the suspect “turned violent and began shooting,” a spokesperson for the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office told The Independent.

He added that one sergeant suffered from “a minor non-gunfire related injury while avoiding the incoming gunfire. He is ok.”1692824159There appears to be a respite from the gunfireA reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted, “Things have been quiet for a while now. Armored vehicle heading into the alley behind Broad Street now.”Gunshots have persisted on and off for nearly six hours as the suspect has yet to be stopped.Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 21:551692823136Pittsburgh’s “City in the Streets” event is postponed due to the ongoing shootoutThe event, which is described as the mayor’s initiative to for the public to interact with the government officials: “Celebrate with us and interact with all of our departments and select authorities in a block party setting at different locations each month around the city.”In a tweet, it was announced that the event will be postponed as the situation is not yet over.Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 21:381692821968The scene is still ‘active and ongoing’ Pittsburgh Public Safety wrote at 4.14pm—over five hours after the shooting was first reported—that it remains active. “Updates will be provided when available. We ask for everyone’s patience until the conclusion of this incident,” Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted.One suspect is involved in the case, according to reports, but has caused massive turbulence in the area. Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 21:191692821424Attempted contact with the suspect may be underwayLocal reports suggest that officers are trying to contact the suspect. A high-ranking official” told WPXI that “the SWAT team is attempting to negotiate with the suspect.”A reporter at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted, “There was some brief gunfire. Now it sounds like they’re trying to hail via megaphone.”Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 21:101692819924How the hours-long shootout beganA spokesperson for the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said that “our office went to the address to serve an eviction notice and that is when the actor turned violent and began shooting.”

A source told CBS News that the home where the gunfire is erupting was purchased at a sheriff’s sale, and deputies were going to evict a man who was “basically squatting,” knowing it could turn violent.A public safety announcement urging the public to avoid parts of the Garfield neighbourhood was released at 11am; the shooting has spanned hours since.Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 20:451692818424According to the White House “The President has also been briefed on reports of the active shooter situation in Pittsburgh.”President Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the other side of the state. The Independent has reached out to the White House for futher comments.Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 20:201692817259National gun violence organisation speaks out Amid the active shooting situation in Pittsburgh, a gun violence prevention organisation is using the shooting as an example of the necessary need for gun violence prevention. “The uniquely easy access to firearms in America allows minor disputes to quickly escalate and turn deadly,” Kris Brown president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence said in a statement. “Just one person with a firearm can result in hundreds of rounds being fired and shut down an entire neighbourhood, while this is terrifying, today is not unique considering every five hours, someone in Pennsylvania is shot and killed. Guns should not be allowed to terrorise our neighbourhood and put our lives at risk.”Ariana Baio23 August 2023 20:001692816042There is only one suspect Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told CNN there is only one suspect, although this individual has not been publicly identified. Although the spokesperson could not confirm the exact location of the home to The Independent, a local reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said it appears as though officers are “starting the process of forcing their way into the Broad Street home with equipment.”Pennsylvania State Police previously said that the suspected shooter is barricaded inside the home amid massive rounds of gunfire.

Kelly Rissman23 August 2023 19:401692814859Pennsylvania State. Police will investigate incident The Pittsburgh Public Safety Office said the Pennsylvania State Police will investigate the active shooting situation “at its conclusion.”While the Pittsburgh Police are still leading control of the incident, the state police as well as the FBI are involved to help.Ariana Baio23 August 2023 19:201692814559Suspected shooter is barricaded inside homePennsylvania State Police said that the suspected shooter in Pittsburgh has themselves barricaded inside the home where they have administered rounds of gunshots. “This turns right into an active shooter situation then it proceeds into a barricaded aspect inside a house,” a police officer said in a video.“We’re actively working with all emergency crew here on scene to make sure we end this in the safest way possible.”Ariana Baio23 August 2023 19:15

SOURCE: Independent