On the evening of October 20, 2023, emergency services in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, responded to a call of a shooting at the Sherman Hills housing complex on Coal Street. Upon their arrival at approximately 6:30 p.m., police officers discovered 30-year-old Kyle Declet, a male resident of the city, unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the Luzerne County Coroner's office officially ruled his death a homicide. Declet was a father to five children.
For over a year, the investigation into Declet's death continued, leaving his family searching for answers and justice. His brother was vocal about the family's profound grief and frustration with the initial pace of the investigation. The family felt a lack of communication from the Wilkes-Barre Police Department as they mourned the sudden and violent loss of their loved one. The case remained open with authorities appealing to the public for any information that could lead to the person or persons responsible for the shooting.
In November 2025, a significant breakthrough in the case was announced. Investigators, utilizing a combination of surveillance video, DNA analysis, and other physical evidence, identified a suspect. Authorities arrested 18-year-old Omar Redditt in connection with the fatal shooting that had occurred more than two years prior. Redditt was charged with criminal homicide, possession of a firearm by a minor, and discharging a firearm into an occupied structure. Following his arrest, he was held in Luzerne County to await a preliminary hearing scheduled for early December of that year.
