In the early morning hours of July 22, 2014, the quiet of a Carrick, Pittsburgh neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Inside an apartment on Merritt Avenue, a violent encounter was unfolding that would leave one man dead and another seriously injured. David Calhoun, a 31-year-old African American male, was fatally shot during what police described as a home invasion.
The incident began around 2:20 a.m.
when two men, later identified as David Calhoun and 27-year-old Christopher Thomas, allegedly forced their way into the apartment of a 19-year-old man and his 17-year-old female roommate. The intruders, reportedly armed, fired a shot through the apartment door to gain entry and then demanded the male resident's belongings, forcing him into his bedroom.
Once in the bedroom, the course of events took a dramatic turn. The 19-year-old resident retrieved a shotgun and fired at the two intruders. Calhoun was struck and killed at the scene. Thomas was also shot and wounded but managed to flee the apartment before collapsing outside. Police arrived to find a scene of chaos, with Calhoun deceased inside and Thomas critically injured nearby. The resident of the apartment was initially taken into custody for questioning.
Following an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, authorities determined that the 19-year-old resident had acted in self-defense. He was subsequently released, and no charges were filed against him in relation to the shooting. Christopher Thomas, however, faced a different legal outcome. After recovering from his injuries, he was arrested and charged with a number of serious offenses, including attempted homicide, robbery, and conspiracy for his role in the home invasion that led to the death of David Calhoun.
