EDGEWOOD, Pa. — Dozens of people gathered Sunday evening in Edgewood to honor Dr. Idris Evans, while also looking for answers and resources following the violent attack that killed him and seriously injured his wife.
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People gathered at Memorial Park, lighting candles, hugging one another and observing a moment of silence for Dr. Evans, who was remembered as a Children’s Hospital physician, husband, father, friend and neighbor.
“It’s very overwhelming. It’s extremely sad, and it’s extremely frightening,” said Edgewood resident Ellie Hempel, who said she lived near Evans and his wife.
Hempel said it is difficult to imagine what the family experienced.
“It just brings to me the fear that the family must’ve gone through,” she said.
Before the candlelight vigil, community organizations and Edgewood Borough leaders, including Mayor Moshe Sherman and Police Chief Sylvan Altieri, met with people inside Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
The gathering gave people an opportunity to ask questions and connect with resources.
“When you are already suffering, when you are already asking why did this happen, the last thing you want from the government is to not be paying attention to you,” Edgewood Police Chief Sylvan Altieri said.
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Investigators told the crowd that the cases involving Elijah Hemingway are under gag orders, limiting what can be publicly discussed.
Hemingway is accused of fatally stabbing Evans and stabbing his wife at their Edgewood home.
He is also charged in connection with the reported sexual assault of a woman in neighboring Wilkinsburg about 14 hours earlier.
Altieri said Edgewood police did not know Hemingway before the attack and described the violence as unusual for the area.
As neighbors continue to grieve, some said they hope the community will keep talking about ways to prevent another loss.
“I think the community needs to come together to talk about these things,” Edgewood resident Jeff Bisdee said.
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County police said a motion for a gag order was filed Friday.
They said such motions are typical in high-profile cases to help prevent potential jurors from being influenced by public information.
A Common Pleas judge is expected to approve or deny the motion Monday.
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