In the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, on the afternoon of January 9, 2018, the life of 25-year-old Diron Lamonn Hopwood was cut short in a hail of bullets. The incident, which marked the city's first homicide of the year, unfolded around 1:20 p.m. at the intersection of North Murtland and Upland streets. Neighbors reported hearing several gunshots, and the city's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, along with multiple 911 calls, alerted police to the scene.
Upon arrival, officers
discovered Hopwood lying in the street, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The brazen daylight shooting prompted a temporary lockdown at the nearby Westinghouse High School as a safety precaution while police began their search for suspects. The school lockdown was lifted later that afternoon, though school buses had to be rerouted around the active crime scene.
The investigation into Diron Hopwood's murder was launched immediately, with detectives canvassing the area for evidence and appealing to the public for any information. Police indicated they had information suggesting Hopwood may have been walking with another individual just prior to the shooting and that a car might have been involved. It was reported that Hopwood had recently returned from a vacation and had visited his grandmother's house shortly before he was killed. Despite the public pleas for information, as of early 2019, no suspects had been publicly identified, and the investigation was reported as ongoing. There have been no subsequent announcements regarding any arrests or charges in connection with his death.
