On a late Memorial Day evening in Pittsburgh's Hill District, a small fight escalated into a burst of gunfire that tragically ended the life of 34-year-old Isaac Harrison, a Black male. The incident, which occurred on May 27, 2019, also left a 15-year-old girl wounded. The shooting took place shortly before 11 p.m. in the 2500 block of Chauncey Drive within the Bedford Dwellings housing development.
Responding officers discovered the teenage girl at the scene with a gunshot wound and she
was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. Harrison, however, was taken to a hospital by a private vehicle, where he was pronounced dead just minutes after his arrival. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office later ruled his death a homicide.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Pittsburgh police sought the public's assistance in identifying a woman they believed to be a possible suspect. However, the investigation eventually led them to Jalaspian Charles. A few months after the shooting, Charles was apprehended in Denver, Colorado.
Jalaspian Charles was charged with the murder of Isaac Harrison. His trial concluded with a conviction on charges of first-degree murder, recklessly endangering another person, and a firearms violation. In February 2022, a judge sentenced Charles to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional two to four years to be served.
