What started out as an intended good deed ended in gunfire Wednesday afternoon.
A “good samaritan” is in critical condition after being shot multiple times in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood by a man he didn’t know but was trying to help, Pittsburgh police said.
Pittsburgh police found a 73-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds near the intersection of Goe Avenue and Brighton Road shortly before 4 p.m., according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The victim, who was not identified, was transported to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses said it appeared the victim was attempting to bring supplies to Angus Sanders Jr., a homeless man who is well-known in the neighborhood. The criminal complaint mentions three witnesses who are familiar with Sanders Jr. He reportedly lives on the street of the neighborhood.
Sanders Jr. was allegedly on the ground near the Rite Aid when the victim approached him. Police said witnesses saw Sanders Jr. produce a gun and fire six or seven shots point blank at the victim. One witness said Sanders Jr. is known to carry a gun with him.
Richard Ford, assistant chief of operations for Pittsburgh police, indicated Sanders Jr.had to be taken by force.
“They had to wrestle the firearm off the actor,” Ford said. Police used a Taser to subdue him.
Officers confirmed the gun was stolen from Swissvale in January of 2023.
Sanders Jr. was then taken to a hospital for evaluation. He is still in the hospital and will ultimately be transported to Allegheny County Jail.
Ford said there was no evidence indicating that the two men knew each other.
Assistant Chief of Operations Richard Ford says police first responded to a 13-round ShotSpotter alert in the area before locating the victim. https://t.co/SYZS7Qs9DMpic.twitter.com/bw5LHlWZyi
— Pittsburgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) August 7, 2024
“We think in this particular situation the actor may have been on something,” he said, “and this person was just a good Samaritan that had come upon this individual to try to render aid and the person just started firing on the individual.”
The complaint said Sanders Jr. is not supposed to have a firearm due to several previous convictions.
The police department’s violent crime unit is investigating.
Police were notified of the shooting by a 13-round alert from ShotSpotter, a gun-detection system that has been criticized as ineffective by cities across the country.
Pittsburgh has poured nearly $10 million into the service, which officials may vote to expand in the city.
Sanders Jr. is facing multiple charges including aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest and carrying a firearm without a license.
Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com.