On a November evening in 2015, the life of 23-year-old Deron Mccray of the Hill District was tragically cut short inside a home in Pittsburgh's Northview Heights neighborhood. On November 16th, Mccray was at a residence on Chicago Street when a knock came at the door. A witness inside the house reported hearing a struggle and screaming after Mccray, who was legally armed, went to answer the door. Mccray was discovered on a landing, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
He was quickly transported to a local hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into the shooting led police to identify brothers Joshua and Randy Johnson as the men responsible for the deadly encounter. Surveillance footage from the area showed individuals fleeing the home at the time of the shooting, and Joshua Johnson was identified as one of them. In 2016, Joshua, then 20 years old, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy in connection with Mccray's death and was sentenced to 12 and a half to 30 years in prison. At the time of his plea, he maintained that he had only intended to participate in a robbery and that another person he was with was the one who shot Mccray.
The case took a significant turn in 2019 when Randy Johnson, who was already incarcerated on unrelated charges, confessed to being the one who fatally shot Deron Mccray. In a handwritten letter, Randy admitted that he and his brother, along with a third unidentified individual, had planned to rob Mccray because they believed he had drugs and guns inside the house. He described a struggle ensuing after they forced their way into the home, and as Mccray reached for his own weapon, Randy shot him once with an assault rifle. In September 2021, Randy Johnson pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy and received a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison for his role in the killing.
