Tyrome Gatewood

Tyrome Gatewood Jr. was a 17-year-old Black male from Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. He was a friend to Kyhree Harpe, a fellow teenager who attended Carrick High School and had, just a month before Tyrome’s death, received a “Peacekeepers Award” from a local group for his efforts to prevent violence among his peers.

On the afternoon of March 27, 2025, police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and a 911 call that led them to the 100 block of Rochelle Street in the city’s Knoxville section. At approximately 1:09 p.m., officers entered a residence and found Tyrome inside, suffering from a gunshot wound. Police rendered immediate life-saving aid, but medics who arrived shortly after pronounced him dead at the scene. The medical examiner later confirmed he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

According to a witness who spoke with police, Tyrome and Kyhree Harpe, also 17, had been playing with firearms and exchanging magazines inside the home. The situation grew tense when Tyrome reportedly told Harpe, “Put it away. You got that thing aiming at me.” A criminal complaint states that Harpe replied, “Bro, even if I pulled the trigger, it’s not going off.” Immediately after, the gun discharged. The witness heard the shot, saw Tyrome fall to the floor, and heard Harpe say, “I didn’t mean to.”

When police arrived, Harpe was waiting outside the home. He surrendered to the officers, reportedly telling them, “It was me.” Investigators at the scene recovered a spent 9 mm shell casing, an empty gun magazine, and a loaded black pistol with an extended magazine. A pistol magazine was also found inside Tyrome’s jacket.

Authorities arrested Kyhree Harpe and charged him as an adult with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail, where a judge denied him bail. As of the last reports on the case, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 2025.