5 shot during funeral service at Pittsburgh church; 2 teens arrested

Mourners had gathered for the funeral of a man shot on Oct. 15.

October 29, 2022, 11:44 AM

Five people were shot and a sixth person was injured trying to escape the shooting outside a Pittsburgh church on Friday afternoon during a funeral for a man who was fatally shot nearly two weeks ago, police said.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the shooting and face charges including criminal attempt homicide, police said Saturday.

A video of the service captured mourners inside the Destiny of Faith Church on Brighton Street scrambling for safety as the gunshots erupted. They were attending a funeral Mass for John James Hornezes Jr., one of the three people killed in a shooting on Pittsburgh's North Side on Oct. 15, police said.

Several people were shot outside a funeral in Pittsburgh, Penn., on Oct. 28, 2022.
WTAE

ShotSpotter alerts detected 20 rounds just before noon, police said.

Pittsburgh Police Commander Richard Ford told reporters that it wasn't immediately known if the earlier shooting was linked to the funeral shooting.

Ford said six victims were hospitalized. One victim was in critical condition but later upgraded to stable condition, police said. The other five victims were also listed in stable condition, police said.

One of the victims was found with gunshot wounds near the church and transported to the hospital, police said. Of the four others shot in the incident, one victim was found in the area and transported by EMS, while three others brought themselves to local hospitals, police said.

Police had initially said that six victims had been shot, but later clarified that one of the victims was injured trying to escape.

Several people were shot outside a funeral in Pittsburgh, Penn., on Oct. 28, 2022.
WTAE

Shawn Davis, 19, and a 16-year-old boy have been arrested and face multiple charges, including criminal attempt homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault and firearms charges, police said. Both are in the Allegheny County Jail. It is unclear if they have an attorney.

"I just pray to God, whoever it is, whatever it is, they’re going to repent," Page Davis, Hornezes Jr.'s godmother, who was inside the church during the incident, told ABC affiliate WTAE.