Teenager shot dead at Pennsylvania Halloween hayride event, suspect on run: Police

A Catholic high school student was killed and another teenager was injured when gunfire erupted at a popular Halloween hayride attraction in a Pittsburgh suburb, and police said the suspected gunman remained on the run Monday.

The shooting unfolded around 8:15 p.m. Saturday at the Haunted Hills Hayride, about 13 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County State Police.

Police said gunfire broke out near the ticket booth about 15 minutes before the annual charity event was set to open for the first night in a run scheduled to go through Halloween.

Up to 100 people, including parents and children, were waiting to get into the event when multiple shots were fired, sparking a chaotic scene of people scrambling to get out of harm's way, according to police.

Lt. Venerando Costa of the Allegheny County Police Department said at a news conference that two 15-year-old boys were shot and taken to an area hospital, where one was pronounced dead and the other was initially in critical condition.

The boy killed was identified as Steven Eason of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, according to an Allegheny County medical examiner's office.

Eason was shot in the chest and stomach when he and his friends witnessed the other shooting victim, who they casually knew, involved in a confrontation with the gunman and attempted to intervene, Allegheny County Police said in a statement. The second victim, the boy Eason tried to help, was shot in the shoulder and was in stable condition on Monday, police said.

The wounded teenager's name was not released.

Costa said witnesses described the suspected gunman as Black, 15 to 17 years old, 5 foot 9, with short hair and wearing dark blue cargo shorts and carrying a black backpack.

Costa told ABC News on Monday morning that investigators are still working to identify the gunman and asked anyone with information on the suspect to call the police.

Witnesses said the suspect fled toward the parking lot but it was unclear if he left the scene on foot or in a vehicle, police said.

No other injuries were reported.

Eason was a sophomore at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, school officials said in a post on Facebook.

"It is with deep sorrow that we share with you news of the sudden and unexpected death of Steven Eason," school officials said in a statement, adding that counselors will be made available to students this week.

"What goes through my mind when a 15-year-old gets shot at a hayride? I think it's a terrible shame," Costa said. "Anybody could have been hurt."

The Haunted Hills Hayride, which also features a haunted trail lined with actors dressed in Halloween costumes, is an annual charity event to benefit the Autism Society of Pittsburgh.