In the early moments of a cold February morning in Homestead, Pennsylvania, the life of 22-year-old Tre-quan Embry was tragically cut short. Just after 12:30 a.m. on February 2, 2019, multiple calls reporting shots fired in the 300 block of E. 17th Avenue alerted Allegheny County 911. Responding officers discovered Embry lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, including two to the head and one to the leg. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the death of the young male from Homestead soon began to unravel a story that started with a phone call. Embry's mother told authorities that he had received a call shortly before the shooting and said he was going to meet someone just down the street. Less than a minute after he left his home, she heard the fatal gunshots and looked out to see her son's body. Investigators found a gun and a bag of ammunition near Embry's body. A crucial piece of evidence came from Embry's phone, which revealed a series of messages between him and 15-year-old Corey Mickens. The two had arranged to meet for Embry to sell ammunition to Mickens. The final message from Embry to Mickens was sent at 12:33 a.m., just three minutes before the first 911 call was made.
In December 2019, Corey Mickens, who was already incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail on unrelated charges, was charged with criminal homicide in connection with Embry's death. The families of both the victim and the accused had reportedly been friends. Two years later, in October 2021, a then 17-year-old Mickens pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, along with robbery and two counts each of aggravated assault and conspiracy for other crimes. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison. During the sentencing, Embry's mother expressed her profound grief, stating that the sentence was not long enough and that she would never be able to forgive Mickens.
