Christopher Kovach, 35, was shot in his vehicle after driving from Lorain, Ohio to Pittsburgh for what investigators say was a prearranged drug deal. On June 21, 2025, he arrived in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood and, shortly before 1:30 a.m., police responded to reports of gunfire and vehicles fleeing the 7000 block of Churchland Street. Officers found Kovach in the driver’s seat, wounded by a gunshot to the head and with a duffle bag in his lap containing seven pounds of marijuana. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died on June 22, 2025.

Investigators say at least two people entered the backseat of Kovach’s vehicle and a witness heard Kovach scream a name before shots were fired. Crime scene analysts determined at least three different firearms were discharged. Fingerprint evidence from Kovach’s Dodge Durango led police to 30-year-old Daevone Brown of McKeesport; in July 2025 Brown was arrested and charged with homicide and attempted homicide and held without bail.

If anyone was in the Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar area that night or has information about who was in Kovach’s vehicle, please come forward.