In the early hours of a December morning in Pittsburgh's Carrick neighborhood, a dispute between two men escalated into a fatal encounter. Cole Kerns, a 28-year-old male, was on the back patio of Sophie's Saloon on Brownsville Road when an argument broke out. Witnesses reported that an altercation occurred between Kerns and another man shortly before gunshots rang out around 1:30 a.m.
on Sunday, December 3, 2023.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Kerns on an outside porch with gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The investigation that followed pointed to 25-year-old Corey Rall as the suspected shooter. According to police, the confrontation turned violent when Kerns threw a punch, and Rall allegedly responded by shooting him. It has been reported that the two men did not know each other prior to this deadly meeting.
The day after the shooting, Corey Rall turned himself in to the authorities. He was subsequently charged with criminal homicide and taken to the Allegheny County Jail. Those who knew Cole Kerns remembered him as a loving and protective person. His girlfriend described him as a 'godly man' whose soul made an impact on everyone he met, stating that the world is a little darker without him. Friends recalled growing up with him in the area and lamented the increasing gun violence that has affected their community.
