Izeyah Clancy, a 17-year-old Black/African American male from Pittsburgh, was shot on the night of May 27, 2021, in the city’s Allentown neighborhood. The violence unfolded along the 700 block of East Warrington Avenue, near Adan’s Market, at a time when the neighborhood business district was still active. Police were alerted after gunfire was detected and reported in the area, and responding officers arrived to find Izeyah gravely wounded, slumped over on or near his bicycle.
He had
been shot in the head and also suffered a graze wound to his left arm. Bystanders tried to help as officers arrived, and Izeyah was rushed to UPMC Mercy Hospital in serious to critical condition. Despite emergency medical care, he died at the hospital late the following night. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that he died from a penetrating gunshot wound to the head.
In the immediate aftermath, authorities reported that two figures wearing dark clothing had been seen running away toward Mount Washington. At first, no arrest was announced, and investigators worked the scene along East Warrington Avenue, gathering evidence from the street and nearby buildings. Surveillance footage from Adan’s Market and a neighboring childcare center became central to the investigation, giving detectives a clearer account of what happened in the moments before the shooting.
According to later court records, Clinton Miller, who was 18 at the time, was seen on surveillance video inside Adan’s Market shortly before the shooting. Izeyah entered the store moments later, and Miller left almost immediately after. Izeyah then exited as well. Outside, Izeyah got onto his bicycle, and Miller was shown behind him. Prosecutors said the video showed Miller pulling a gun and shooting Izeyah in the back of the head while Izeyah was facing away and unaware of what was about to happen. Authorities said five shots were fired.
Police identified Miller through the surveillance footage, including the distinctive clothing he was wearing, described in court records as a black “Batman” hooded sweatshirt. School staff members who knew Miller also identified him from the footage. On June 25, 2021, Pittsburgh police and the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force arrested Miller in connection with Izeyah’s killing. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and charged with criminal homicide and firearms offenses.
Miller later admitted he was at the scene and that he was the person in the hoodie seen on video. Court records say he was not licensed to carry a firearm. During the case, Miller claimed that he and Izeyah had a prior dispute and that he believed Izeyah posed a threat to him. He testified that he was scared and believed Izeyah had his hand near a weapon. But the court found the surveillance footage contradicted the self-defense argument, noting that Izeyah appeared to be looking away and getting on his bike when Miller fired from behind.
After a bench trial, Miller was convicted of third-degree murder, firearms not to be carried without a license, and possession of a firearm prohibited. On June 5, 2023, he was sentenced to an aggregate term of 23½ to 47 years in prison. Miller appealed, arguing in part that the court should have accepted an imperfect self-defense theory and that his sentence was excessive. In July 2024, the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the judgment of sentence, leaving his convictions and prison term in place.
