A Braddock man has been charged with homicide and other crimes in connection with a fatal shooting Thursday of a Penn Hills man during a gun battle.
Allegheny County Police arrested William Thomas “Zeno” Hurst, 39, on Friday.
Online court documents indicate Hurst was denied bail and remains in the Allegheny County Jail.
He is charged with criminal homicide, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of instruments of a crime, and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Charges stem from the shooting death of Gene Frederick, 46, Thursday around 4 p.m. at a home along the 100 block of Topaz Drive, near Friendship Park.
Officers were dispatched to the area for heavy gunfire. They found a man, later identified as Hurst, suffering from gunshot wounds to the right shoulder and right bicep.
Police discovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol in his waistband and, after the incident was over, a slew of guns and ammunition in his car — including a flamethrower attachment on a rifle.
After securing Hurst, officers made their way to the building and found Frederick lying dead at the home’s front door, court documents read.
He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.
Police found a Glock semi-automatic pistol and matching holster and a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle on the floor near Frederick, according to the complaint.
Police also recovered 23 spent shell casings outside, on and near the front porch, and additional casings in the front yard, near the driveway and in front of the doorway.
Hurst’s car, a black Dodge Challenger, was “found to have significant ballistic damage” with 14 holes on its passenger side. A single bullet hole was also discovered on the vehicle’s driver’s side door glass, and seven more bullet holes were seen on the car’s roof.
Police saw an AR-15 style rifle with an extra-large capacity magazine laying on the driver’s seat. Fifteen spent casings and one live round were observed on the ground by the car.
Hurst was taken to UPMC Presbyterian hospital for treatment.
Police said in court documents that officers spoke to several witnesses who were at the scene. None was identified in Hurst’s arrest papers by name, and only one was identified by gender.
One witness said Frederick was trying to install a Ring doorbell at the front door when a second person arrived at the house. Frederick asked them about a black car that raced up the hill and stopped in front of the house.
Frederick told the person who just arrived to get inside quickly and locked the screen door. Frederick told the first witness to take a third person into the basement.
Before they went downstairs, the first witness told police they looked outside and saw a black man leaning into the trunk of the car parked out front.
Frederick ran upstairs, came back down with a rifle and went outside, court documents read.
The first witness said as they were going toward the basement they heard gunshots and Frederick saying he was “hit.”
That witness said they believe the person shooting at Frederick was a man named “Zeno,” later identified as Hurst, who was friends with Frederick’s baby’s mother.
A fourth witness who was waiting in a car at the scene told police they saw Hurst jump out of the Challenger and start arguing with Frederick, who the witness said told Hurst to leave multiple times.
That fourth witness said they drove a short distance, to nearby Opal Drive, and turned around in the cul-de-sac to be away from the argument. The driver told police once the vehicle was turned around they could see Frederick and the other man, Hurst, pointing rifles at one another and started firing.
A fifth witness, a woman, told police that a child called them from the scene to report that Hurst had showed up at Frederick’s house and the two were arguing, according to court documents.
That witness said Hurst accused Frederick of “mistreating” her in the past, a claim that she denied, court documents read.
She said she told Hurst to stop talking to her last November, but he left flowers at her residence on April 25 and April 30 and sent a text message April 29 trying to get back with her.
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Two neighbors told detectives they saw a black car pull up and a black man get out who seemed to be “on edge,” according to court documents.
Both said they saw the man pull out a gun and heard gunfire. One called 911 and said the man pointed a gun at their house.
Police also reviewed Ring doorbell footage from a nearby residence.
Police could hear a single gunshot, then a man shouting, “get in your car and leave,” then, “get in your (expletive) car and leave” twice.
A man shouted, “I’m not playing with you.”
Then multiple shots were fired and a man shouted something inaudible, according to the police report.
Police interviewed Hurst at the hospital. He told police he drove to Frederick’s home to confront him about the way he treats the woman that Hurst had had a previous relationship with.
Hurst told police that he saw Frederick outside the home then quickly go inside and emerge with a rifle.
According to court documents, while trying to talk with Frederick outside Hurst told police he fired five shots at the ground.
Hurst said he got into his vehicle and tried to leave, but got his rifle and began firing toward Frederick after Frederick fired shots into his car. Hurst said he called 911 after the shooting stopped.
Police said Hurst’s statements conflict with the witness reports and audio/video footage.
Police searched the Dodge Challenger and recovered a slew of guns and ammunition:
an AR-15 with a triple magazine; a Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistol with two loaded 15-round magazines and two loaded 30-round magazines; a loaded Escort “bullpup” style, semi-automatic shotgun; a box of shotgun ammunition; a loaded 9mm drum magazine; a loaded 12-gauge drum magazine; a loaded 30-round 12-gauge magazine; and a “Pulsefire flamethrower underbarrel attachment for a rifle equipped with fuel.”
Detectives also recovered a black backpack with additional handgun magazine holders and documents pertaining to firearms training.
Hurst’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 16 at Pittsburgh Municipal Court.