On a summer afternoon in Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania, what began as a planned fistfight between two young men tragically escalated, ending the life of 18-year-old Jassim Al-Maleky on July 28, 2018. Al-Maleky, a recent graduate of Sto-Rox High School, was a male of Middle Eastern descent who had gone to Kennedy Lane simply to watch the pre-arranged altercation.
He was not a participant in the fight, but a bystander in a crowd of other young people who had also gathered to witness the event.
The scene turned chaotic when a spectator, later identified as 21-year-old Israel Moon of McKees Rocks, produced a handgun and fired into the group of onlookers. Al-Maleky was struck by a bullet in the torso. He managed to run to a neighboring yard before collapsing. Paramedics arrived and attempted to treat him, but his injuries were too severe. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead less than two hours after the shooting.
In the days following the shooting, the community mourned the senseless loss of a young life. Friends and family gathered for a vigil at his high school, remembering him as a good kid who played sports and had plans to attend college. The investigation into his death quickly focused on Israel Moon. According to police reports, witnesses stated that Moon fired the weapon randomly into the crowd and later told a witness that he 'didn't aim. I just shot randomly.' It was also reported that his gun jammed after he fired two shots.
A warrant was issued for Moon's arrest, and he surrendered to police on the Tuesday after the shooting. He was charged with criminal homicide and carrying a firearm without a license and was held at the Allegheny County Jail. During a preliminary hearing in September 2018, despite his defense attorney's argument that no witnesses saw Moon with a firearm, a judge determined there was enough evidence to hold him for court on both charges. The case was then bound for trial.
