Third arrest made in kidnapping, fatal shooting of man in Beltzhoover

PITTSBURGH — A third person was arrested early Thursday morning in the death of a man who was kidnapped and found shot last week in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood, police said. %

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Johnnie Raines, 20, of Perry South, is charged with homicide in the death of 21-year-old Saevon Ponder. Two other people, Mitchell Coles, 21, and Erica Harris, 24, were arrested Sunday.

Authorities said Ponder, of Penn Hills, was found March 24 with multiple gunshot wounds in a wooded area off Frampton Avenue. He was laid to rest Thursday, hours after the arrest of Raines, who is the alleged shooter.

Homicide detectives said Raines, Coles and Harris kidnapped Ponder from a home.

A witness told police that before his abduction, Ponder said he owed the trio 100 pills of Xanax.

Ponder tried to escape at one point, but was chased down and forced back into a car driven by Harris, according to police. %

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Raines admitted to going after Ponders, according to a criminal complaint. But he told investigators, “I didn’t shoot anyone” and “I didn’t plan to kill anyone there.”

Coles and Harris are both facing kidnapping and conspiracy charges. Coles is also charged with criminal homicide.

Cox Media Group