On the night of May 22, 2021, a violent chain of events unfolded on the highways of Pittsburgh, leaving two people dead, including 22-year-old Shane A. Edwards Jr. Edwards, a male from Pittsburgh, was in a vehicle traveling south on Route 28 near the Route 8 exit in Etna at approximately 2:00 a.m. when another car pulled alongside and multiple shots were fired into his vehicle.
Struck by the gunfire, he was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the targeted shooting led state police to an entertainment complex, Zone 28, in Harmar Township, where it is believed a dispute that preceded the shooting began. Edwards and a witness were at the complex and left around 1:45 a.m. A white Kia was seen leaving immediately after them. A witness in the car with Edwards reported hearing a popping noise several miles down the road and realizing Edwards had been shot.
Eight months after the fatal shooting, authorities arrested and charged two men, Howard Milligan, then 26, and Leroy Irvin Jr., then 35, in connection with Edwards' death. The investigation revealed a chilling motive. According to court documents, Irvin told police that Milligan had shot at Edwards' car because he believed the occupants were responsible for his sister's death.
The violence did not end with Edwards' death. A few hours later, the same two men were implicated in the shooting death of another individual, Jasmine Guest, on the Parkway East. Both Milligan and Irvin were already in jail on unrelated charges when they were charged with the two homicides. As of November 2024, the legal proceedings for both men were ongoing, with the families of the victims awaiting justice as plea deal decisions were delayed.
