Maurice Bruce, a 32-year-old Black male from Pittsburgh, was found shot to death on February 4, 2013, in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood. His body was discovered in bushes near the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Sterrett Street by someone passing through the area. Reports described a grim scene: Bruce had apparently been shot after leaving a local bar earlier that day, and his body may have remained there for hours before anyone realized he was there.
Early reports from local outlets differed slightly on his listed hometown, describing him at various times as being from Pittsburgh, Homestead, Swissvale, or Munhall, but they consistently identified him as Maurice Bruce and placed his death in Homewood. His uncle said Bruce had recently been released from jail and was trying to turn his life around, spending time with his son and daughter and making an effort to do things the right way.
The area had already been unsettled by gunfire that morning. Police had responded around 2 a.m. after a woman was shot in the leg in the same general area, and Bruce's body was found several hours later. At the time, police did not say whether the two shootings were connected. Residents expressed fear and frustration over violence in the neighborhood, with one woman saying people had to look behind them because it did not feel safe.
The violence around Bruce's family deepened less than three weeks later, when his younger brother, Brian Wright, was shot and killed in Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood on February 23, 2013. Authorities said Wright was found near Enterprise Street and Tangent Way after being shot in the chest. Police publicly noted the connection between the brothers' deaths, but they did not identify a motive in either case.
Available reports state that no arrests had been made in Maurice Bruce's killing, and police had not publicly identified any suspects or motive. Later coverage of his brother's killing also said no arrests had been made in either case. Investigators asked anyone with information about the shootings to contact Pittsburgh homicide detectives, leaving Bruce's case publicly unresolved in the available reporting.
