In the quiet neighborhood of Carrick in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the life of 17-year-old Damonte Hardrick was tragically cut short on the night of Monday, February 13, 2023. At approximately 10 p.m., while inside a residence on Parkfield Street, Damonte was struck by a fatal gunshot wound to the head. First responders arrived at the scene to find the young man, a student at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School who had previously attended Carrick High School, deceased inside a bedroom.
At the time of the incident, there were several other individuals present in the house.
The investigation into the shooting led police to a 14-year-old suspect, Nigel Thompson. A crucial piece of evidence in identifying Thompson was the GPS data from an ankle monitor he was wearing as part of his juvenile probation. The tracking information placed him at the scene of the crime on Parkfield Street at the precise time the shooting occurred. Surveillance footage from the area also captured two muzzle flashes and a figure believed to be Thompson near the residence. Investigators found two shell casings in the street outside the home, with one bullet having penetrated the front door and an interior wall, and a second going through a concrete wall into the room where Damonte was located.
Nigel Thompson turned himself in to the authorities on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, and was charged as an adult with criminal homicide and firearms violations. Following his arrest, he was held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail. During a subsequent court hearing, prosecutors presented surveillance footage that showed Thompson leaving his home just before the shooting and returning minutes after Damonte was killed. The motive for the shooting was not immediately made clear, and the victim's aunt expressed her belief that her nephew, who was performing well in school, did not know the accused and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
