Thursday, February 27, 2025, 7:30PM |  46°
MENU
Advertisement
Police investigate the scene where they found the body of a young man shot to death in a blue car in the parking lot of Sunnyside PreK-8 School in Stanton Heights on Wednesday.
2
MORE

Sunnyside school parking lot victim identified as Stanton Heights man

Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Sunnyside school parking lot victim identified as Stanton Heights man

A man found shot to death in a Stanton Heights elementary school parking lot Wednesday afternoon has been identified as Jordan Kearney, 20, who lived near the school, according to the county medical examiner's office and city police.

Mr. Kearney was found in a blue car parked in the lot at Sunnyside Elementary School by a passer-by. The school is at 4801 Stanton Ave, and Mr. Kearney lived in the neighborhood.

Public safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler said on Wednesday that the incident may have been linked to a report of shots fired around 11 p.m. Tuesday night. The car, with a white sheet fitted to cover its windshield, was removed from the lot shortly after 4 p.m. Pittsburgh police are investigating the shooting as a homicide.

Advertisement

A lockdown was put into place before the school’s normal dismissal time of 2:51 p.m., school officials said. It was later lifted around 4 p.m. and students were able to board their buses.

During the lockdown, Michael Synan, 63, was outside on the sidewalk, waiting for his 10-year-old granddaughter, Savannah, who is in fifth grade.

"I didn't know what was going on, I didn't know what to think," he said of the incident. "You hear about it all the time. You never really expect it.

"How do you prepare yourself for something like that?"

Advertisement

Louis DePellegrini, 63, lives next to the school. About 8 p.m. Tuesday, he heard a noise coming from the parking lot and first thought someone was banging on his fence.

"I went out to look - nothing unusual," he said. "Then around 11 p.m. I heard what sounded like an explosion. I went to the school parking lot but it was clear."

Mr. DePellegrini said he noticed a few cars in the lot when he checked, including the blue car that turned out to have the body inside. He also noticed a light blue hatchback continuously looping around Stanton Avenue and through the parking lot.

"I was going to call the police - I call the police often - because there's always a lot of activity going on after school," he said.

He decided not to call Tuesday night, however, because he concluded that the noise had come from a trash bin or from a school event letting out, he said.

"The thing that makes me afraid, upset, is that the body laid in that car after we heard the shots until school let out," he said.

An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.

Councilwoman Deborah Gross, who represents District 7, released a statement Wednesday afternoon in regards to the shooting.

“My thoughts are with both the victim’s family and students and parents of Sunnyside Elementary,” she wrote. “I have been in direct contact with officials from our public safety department, and am grateful to them for their work to ensure the safety of Sunnyside students.”

First Published: December 17, 2014, 8:30 p.m.
Updated: December 18, 2014, 2:14 a.m.

RELATED
Comments Disabled For This Story
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Arthur Smith walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Ravens won 28-14.
1
sports
Joe Starkey: Was Steelers GM Omar Khan kidding with his Arthur Smith comments?
Mayor Ed Gainey, left, shakes Police Chief Larry Scirotto’s hand after a news conference regarding the recent release of the staffing report for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in the North Side.
2
news
PG Politics: Ripple effects of former Pittsburgh police chief's abrupt retirement
Kevin Colbert congratulates Ben Roethlisberger after the Steelers beat the Jaguars 20-16 on Nov. 18, 2018, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
3
sports
Brian Batko's Steelers mailbag: How similar is this QB situation to the 2021 predicament?
Pennsylvania's House finance committee recently met with experts for an informational hearing on why the state should adopt an earned income tax credit.
4
news
Pennsylvania's earned income tax credit gets another look
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) dives for a first down against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in the North Shore. The Cincinnati Bengals won 19-17.
5
sports
Steelers talking with Najee Harris' representation at NFL combine
Police investigate the scene where they found the body of a young man shot to death in a blue car in the parking lot of Sunnyside PreK-8 School in Stanton Heights on Wednesday.  (Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette)
Police investigate the scene where they found the body of a young man shot to death in a blue car in the parking lot of Sunnyside PreK-8 School in Stanton Heights on Wednesday.  (Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette)
Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST local
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story