On a cold December night in 2017, the life of 22-year-old Richard Harris Jr. was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire. The shooting unfolded around 11:15 p.m. on Monday, December 4th, within the stairwell of an apartment complex on Everton Street in Pittsburgh's Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a grim tableau. Harris and another young man, 22-year-old Allen Bailey of Wilkinsburg, were found deceased, both victims of fatal gunshot wounds.
The violence of that night was not limited to the two fatalities. Two other individuals, a man and a woman, were also caught in the spray of bullets. They were transported to a local hospital and were listed in stable condition, having survived the attack that claimed the lives of Harris and Bailey. In the immediate aftermath, the community was left shaken, with residents expressing fear and a desire to move from the neighborhood that had suddenly become a scene of deadly violence.
Despite the presence of multiple victims and the gravity of the crime, the investigation into the double homicide proved to be challenging for law enforcement. In the days following the shooting, Pittsburgh police appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the identification and apprehension of those responsible for the deaths of Richard Harris Jr. and Allen Bailey. However, the initial reports indicated that no arrests had been made, and the shooter or shooters remained at large. Years have passed since that violent night, and there have been no subsequent public announcements regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in connection with the murders. The case, it appears, remains an unsolved chapter in the city's history of gun violence, leaving the families of Richard Harris Jr. and Allen Bailey without answers or a sense of justice for their loss.
