In the late evening of September 16, 2024, in Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood, 21-year-old Gavin Yarbough, a former football standout at Woodland Hills High School, was shot and killed. The incident unfolded around 10:50 p.m. on Meadow Street, where Yarbough had arranged to meet someone. He was a passenger in a car, driven by a witness, reportedly to sell marijuana. Shortly after their arrival, a masked individual approached the vehicle and demanded their belongings.
Gunfire erupted, and Yarbough was struck multiple times in the head, neck, and torso. The witness rushed him to UPMC Presbyterian hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival. Yarbough was a 2021 graduate of Woodland Hills High School, where he had been an all-conference football player.
The investigation into the death of the male victim led police to three suspects: John Melvin Kyles, 20, Marcus Johnson, 23, and Zion White, 21, all from Pittsburgh. Investigators believe the planned drug deal was a setup for a robbery. Cellphone records were crucial in the investigation, showing numerous text messages between Yarbough and White to arrange the meeting. Surveillance footage captured a Chevrolet Malibu, later traced to Kyles, near the scene of the crime around the time of the shooting. The footage showed three individuals getting into the car, driving to Meadow Street, and returning after the incident.
The first arrest was made on April 25, 2025, when police apprehended John Melvin Kyles. A search of his phone revealed photos from Yarbough's Instagram account and multiple internet searches for 'shooting in Pittsburgh today' the morning after the murder. Marcus Johnson was arrested in late May 2025. Ballistics tests connected a 9mm pistol owned by Johnson to two of the five spent casings found at the scene. The final suspect, Zion White, was taken into custody in early June 2025. All three men have been charged with criminal homicide, robbery, and conspiracy. During a preliminary hearing in July 2025, prosecutors described the incident as an 'ambush' and 'execution' over a small amount of marijuana. Despite arguments from defense attorneys about a lack of direct physical evidence and eyewitnesses, a district judge ordered the case against all three men to proceed to the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Johnson and Kyles were being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail.
