Albert Boxley, a 30-year-old Black male from the Pittsburgh area, was killed on January 20, 2018, after gunfire broke out in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Police were called to the intersection of Mullins and Dickson streets at about 4:40 p.m., where Boxley was found lying in the street. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that he died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest and ruled the death a homicide.
Early reports described a neighborhood shaken by the sound of gunfire. A nearby resident said he heard several shots and came outside to find Boxley down in the roadway. Investigators recovered shell casings in the street, and police began looking into surveillance footage from the area. At first, authorities did not publicly identify a suspect, but the investigation quickly focused on what had happened around an SUV stopped on Mullins Street moments before the shooting.
According to later court details reported online, detectives said surveillance video showed the SUV stop for roughly half a minute. Police alleged that Louis “Smooth” Campbell, of Swissvale, was driving. The video reportedly showed Campbell step out from the driver’s side, move toward the back of the vehicle, pull out a handgun, and rack the slide as Boxley got out from the rear passenger side. Investigators said the two moved near the back of the SUV before Campbell pointed the gun at Boxley and opened fire.
The shooting did not end with the first shots. Police alleged that Boxley tried to run along the passenger side of the SUV toward Dickson Street as Campbell chased him and continued firing. A third person in the SUV reportedly got out and ran in the opposite direction. Investigators said the video showed Boxley fall to the pavement, after which Campbell fired more shots while Boxley was down, appeared to pick something up, returned to the SUV, and drove away past Boxley’s body.
Police said they also had a witness who had been inside the SUV with Campbell and Boxley. That witness reportedly gave investigators an account that matched the surveillance footage and identified Campbell as the shooter, including through a photo lineup. On January 25, 2018, Pittsburgh homicide detectives arrested Campbell in connection with Boxley’s death. He was charged with criminal homicide and firearm-related offenses and was lodged in the Allegheny County Jail.
Campbell’s arrest came while he was already connected to separate drug cases in Blair County. Online reports said he had previously been arrested in Altoona in 2017 after police accused him of selling carfentanil-laced heroin and that he had posted bail shortly before Boxley was killed. After the homicide arrest, Blair County prosecutors sought to revoke that bail. In March 2018, Campbell was held for court on the homicide charge in Allegheny County, meaning the case was allowed to proceed toward arraignment and further prosecution.
The online reports located for this synopsis identify Campbell as the arrested suspect and describe the evidence against him as including surveillance video, an eyewitness account, and a photo identification. The available reporting reviewed did not provide a final trial verdict or sentencing outcome for the homicide case, but it consistently states that Campbell was charged in Boxley’s killing and remained jailed as the case moved forward.
