Kahmi Samill Naylor, a 23-year-old man from the Pittsburgh area, was born on July 4, 2003. In the wake of his death, his family was left devastated. "Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate the sudden and heartbreaking loss of my nephew, Kahmi Samill Naylor, who was taken from us far too soon," his aunt wrote in a public message. "Our hearts are broken as we try to process this tragedy and find the strength to face the days ahead... Forever loved. Forever missed.
Rest peacefully, Kahmi." To the friends he was staying with at the time of his death, he was known as “Tim.”
In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, October 1, 2026, Kahmi was visiting a friend at an apartment on Locust Street in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, a borough just east of Pittsburgh. At approximately 4:15 a.m., two men broke into the apartment through a back door. According to a witness who was in the living room, the intruders, at least one of whom was armed with a handgun and the other with a rifle, approached Kahmi and ordered him to “give it up.” A struggle ensued for a few minutes before one of the men shot Kahmi three times. Another person in the apartment was awakened by the gunshots and saw two men rifling through Kahmi’s pockets as he sat fatally wounded in a recliner.
When Swissvale-Braddock Hills Regional Police officers arrived in response to a 911 call, they found Kahmi Naylor inside the apartment with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The two assailants had already fled through the back door. Investigators from the Allegheny County Police Department’s Homicide Unit took over the case, canvassing the quiet residential street for surveillance footage. A neighbor later expressed his shock, noting that the street was full of families with young children. Evidence technicians found Kahmi's glasses, a cellphone, and a $10 bill on the floor between the living room and the back door.
The investigation quickly focused on identifying the two men who had forced their way into the home. Initially, witnesses at the scene told detectives that both intruders wore masks, a statement they later admitted was untrue. Fearing for their own safety, they had withheld a key detail. Days after the shooting, one witness contacted police to clarify that only one of the men was masked; the other was not, and the witness immediately recognized him. This witness also told police they had yelled, “Marcus, stop,” and “Marcus, what are you doing,” as the attack unfolded. Another witness confirmed hearing the name "Marcus" during the murder.
Based on the witness statements, Allegheny County Police identified the unmasked suspect as Marcus Carter, a 36-year-old from the nearby borough of Vandergrift. On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Carter in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles away. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and held without bail. Carter was charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy, robbery, reckless endangerment, and a firearms violation stemming from a prior conviction for aggravated assault that made it illegal for him to possess a gun.
A viewing for Kahmi was held on October 10, 2026, followed by a celebration of his life at the House of Law, Inc. funeral home in Pittsburgh. A fundraising page was set up to help his family with funeral expenses. As of late October 2026, the case against Marcus Carter was proceeding through the courts, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for November. The second suspect, who was wearing a mask during the robbery and murder, had not yet been publicly identified. The investigation remains active, and police have asked anyone with information to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
