In the early hours of Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Neill Yackovich, a 47-year-old man from Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, was tragically killed after a night out in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood. His death, which resulted from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, has since been ruled a homicide.
The incident unfolded around 12:45 a.m. near the intersection of Butler Street and Stanton Avenue.
Yackovich was reportedly walking back to his truck after leaving a bar when the encounter occurred. The area was near an Airbnb where a party was taking place.
Following an investigation, police arrested 21-year-old Nykia Pearl Ann Edwards of Clairton and charged her with criminal homicide. According to the criminal complaint, the arrest was made after police reviewed video evidence from the scene and interviewed the person who had rented the Airbnb.
In her statement to the police, Edwards claimed that she was outside with her girlfriend when Yackovich began running towards her. She said she believed he had a "sharp and silver" object, possibly a pocketknife, in his hand and that she acted in self-defense. However, after firing a single shot, she realized he was unarmed. Edwards also admitted to police, "I didn't mean to shoot him. I up. I shouldn't have shot him." Investigators have stated that none of the video footage reviewed showed Yackovich with a weapon or attempting to strike Edwards.
A friend of Yackovich, Joey Janicky, described him as a "great guy" with a "good, giant heart" who wouldn't have been running at anyone, but rather likely trying to get away. Edwards fled the scene after the shooting, disposing of her 9mm handgun in a nearby yard before taking a bus to the South Side. It was also discovered that she did not have a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm and was wanted on a bench warrant for receiving stolen property and traffic offenses.
