William Chaffin was a 14-year-old Black male from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, whose life ended on the afternoon of April 25, 2017, inside a house on Ridge Street. He was known to family and friends as “Lil Will,” a young teenager remembered by people around him as respectful, bright, and full of promise. In the days before his death, relatives said he had rededicated himself to his faith and was preparing to be baptized, making the loss feel even more sudden and devastating for those who loved him.
The shooting happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. at a home in the 1300 block of Ridge Street. Emergency dispatchers received a report of gunfire, and when responders arrived, William was found on the first floor of the house with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner later ruled his death a homicide, and investigators from McKeesport police and the Allegheny County homicide unit worked the case.
Early reports said investigators believed everyone involved had been identified. Police said William and a 19-year-old were the only people inside the home at the time of the shooting. That 19-year-old, described in reports as someone close to William and possibly an older family friend or cousin, was questioned by police. Investigators explored whether the shooting may have been accidental, with sources saying the older teen claimed the gun went off during an attempt to take it from William or get him to put it down.
William’s family struggled with that explanation. His mother and grandmother publicly called for accountability, saying they did not believe they were getting the full truth about what happened inside the house. They questioned where the gun came from, who had control of it, and why the other family involved had not come forward to offer answers or condolences. To them, accident or not, a 14-year-old child was dead and someone needed to be held responsible.
The case was turned over to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether charges would be filed. Public reports available after the shooting stated that no charges had been filed at that time. The 19-year-old was questioned as the apparent shooter or key person involved, but the online sources reviewed did not show a named suspect, an arrest, a prosecution, a trial, or a conviction connected to William Chaffin’s death.
