On August 27, 2023, at about 11 p.m. in Braddock, Pennsylvania, two 17-year-old seniors at Woodland Hills High School, Nazir Parker and Rimel Williamson, were found dead on Center Street from gunshot wounds after multiple shots were reported near Margaretta and Center streets. A 16-year-old, Jerell Rockymore, was located inside a nearby residence with gunshot wounds to his chest and buttocks and taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and cellphone records that led them to identify Rockymore as a suspect; he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Pittsburgh on September 20, 2023, and charged with criminal homicide, receiving stolen property, and illegal possession of a firearm. Rockymore had been seen on video with 15-year-old Mohamed Hussein handling multiple handguns the night of the shootings. Hussein was later found near the scene and, on September 19, 2023, was fatally shot in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood; authorities have acknowledged his connection to the Braddock incident but have not confirmed he directly caused Parker and Williamson’s deaths.

The killings prompted large vigils and widespread grief in Braddock, with family, friends, and local leaders calling for an end to youth violence. If anyone has information about the events on August 27 or the people seen on surveillance near Margaretta and Center streets, please come forward.