In the early morning hours of Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. When the sounds of the shootout subsided, 22-year-old Isaiah Alston, a Black male, was found shot multiple times on Irwin Street just before 3 a.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was later ruled a homicide. Another man was also wounded in the exchange, suffering a gunshot wound to the leg on Franklin Avenue before being transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
The investigation, handled by the Pennsylvania State Police at the request of the Aliquippa Police Chief, quickly indicated that the incident was a shootout involving an SUV and other vehicles. Investigators found various shell casings scattered on the ground. Isaiah Alston was the grandson of William Alston, a former Aliquippa police chief who had passed away in 2008. The tragic event drew attention to what some residents described as escalating violent crime in the area.
Within days, authorities made an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting. Tyquan Johnson was taken into custody and identified as the individual responsible for Alston's death. Johnson was charged with a slate of serious offenses, including criminal homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered manufacturer number, carrying a firearm without a license, and recklessly endangering another person. Following his arrest, he was held in the Beaver County Jail.
