On October 13, 2014, 29-year-old Omar Hodges was shot and killed while waiting in his car for his work crew in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. Hodges, a sanitation worker for the City of Pittsburgh, was sitting in his Cadillac around 7 a.m. on Birmingham Avenue when he was gunned down. Witnesses reported hearing six to seven gunshots. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries shortly after the incident.
The shooting of Omar Hodges was a case of mistaken identity amidst a violent turf war between two rival gangs—the Zhoove gang, based in Beltzhoover, and the Darccide gang. Hodges was not involved in any gang activity but was targeted because his car resembled that of a gang leader from Darccide, making him an unintended victim of the conflict. Members of the Zhoove gang mistakenly believed they were attacking their rival, Angelo "AK" Massie, a prominent member of the Darccide gang. More than a dozen shots were fired at the scene by at least three different guns.
A years-long investigation led to the arrest of nine members of the Zhoove gang. Four individuals were directly charged with homicide related to Hodges' death. The violent events were part of a series of shootings during a three-day period of conflict between the gangs, which had put out bounties on the heads of rival members. Police announced that seven of the individuals involved had eventually pleaded guilty in state court. This tragic incident highlights the collateral damage often suffered by innocent victims in gang-related violence.
The death of Omar Hodges deeply affected the community, and hundreds of people attended his funeral, including fellow city sanitation workers. The City of Pittsburgh officials, including the mayor, called for an end to street violence and pledged support for Hodges' family during this difficult time.
