On a summer night in 2019, a gathering at a home in Swissvale, a suburb of Pittsburgh, turned deadly for 22-year-old Jordan Emmanuel Lewis. An African American male from Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, Lewis was on the front porch of a residence in the 7500 block of Ellesmere Avenue on June 1st when an altercation escalated into fatal violence. The party, filled with people and activity, became the backdrop for a tragic shooting that would end one life and injure two others.
The dispute began
between Lewis and another man, 21-year-old Charlton Mitchell. According to police reports, Lewis took a handgun from Mitchell and demanded that he leave the party. Mitchell departed but soon returned with a semi-automatic rifle he had concealed near a local business. He then opened fire, striking Lewis multiple times. The gunfire also resulted in injuries to a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man, who were both hit by bullet fragments.
Law enforcement officials arrested Charlton Mitchell shortly after the incident. He confessed to the shooting, detailing the argument that preceded it. Mitchell explained to investigators that after Lewis took his handgun and told him to get out, he tripped and sprained his ankle while leaving. He then retrieved the rifle and returned to the house, firing several shots. Authorities charged Mitchell with criminal homicide and two counts of aggravated assault. He was taken into custody and held at the Allegheny County Jail.
