On a cool November evening in 2019, Gregory Lamont Blair Sr., a 46-year-old male, found himself in a fatal confrontation in the Wilkinsburg neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The night of November 16th took a tragic turn when Blair was shot and killed following a dispute. He had confronted a man, Dilon Bartifay, whom he believed was harassing a female friend of his as she waited for a ride.
The argument escalated, and what began as a verbal altercation ended with gunfire.
The shooting occurred around 10:25 p.m. in the 900 block of Center Street. Witnesses reported hearing the argument and then seeing two muzzle flashes. First responders found Blair with a gunshot wound and transported him to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts quickly pointed investigators toward Dilon Bartifay, who lived less than a block from the scene. The investigation was swift, and Bartifay was arrested and charged with criminal homicide.
The case proceeded to trial, where prosecutors laid out the events of that night. They presented evidence including surveillance video that captured the argument between Blair and Bartifay. A key piece of testimony came from an analyst with the Allegheny County crime lab who confirmed the presence of gunshot residue on the sleeve of the sweatshirt Bartifay wore on the night of the shooting. Although the defense attorney attempted to place the blame on another individual, the jury was not swayed.
In February 2022, after a three-day trial, Dilon Bartifay was found guilty of first-degree murder. The conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison. On May 13, 2022, Bartifay was formally sentenced, bringing a close to the legal proceedings in the death of Gregory Lamont Blair Sr., who was remembered by his family as a loving father who enjoyed cooking and never missed one of his children's sporting events.
