In the early moments of November 5, 2008, tragedy struck in the North Side of Pittsburgh when 19-year-old Justen Anderson, a young Black man, was fatally shot. Anderson was in a second-floor bedroom of a home on East Marshall Avenue when an assailant fired a single shot through the window from outside, striking him in the arm and chest. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after the shooting, which occurred just after midnight.
At the time of his death, Anderson was cooperating with law
enforcement as a witness in a separate homicide investigation, a fact that cast a dark shadow over the motive for his killing. He had come forward with information regarding the shooting death of Jason Brown on September 28, 2008. Anderson had been standing next to Brown when Devon Shealey allegedly shot and killed him. Police considered Anderson's testimony to be a crucial component in their case against Shealey, who was wanted on an active arrest warrant but had not yet been apprehended. While investigators acknowledged the potential link between Anderson's cooperation and his murder, they were unable to definitively confirm if his death was a direct result of his role as a witness.
Described by those who knew him as an 'upstanding young man,' Anderson had no criminal record and had graduated from the McNaugher Special Education Center. His death was a profound loss to his community, highlighting the grave dangers that can befall those who step forward to assist in criminal investigations. Despite the presence of other individuals in the house at the time of the shooting, there were no direct witnesses to the killing of Justen Anderson. The case has been particularly challenging for investigators to solve, and it does not appear that any arrests have been made or suspects publicly identified in his murder.
