“Heartbroken”: Local family looking for answers 3 years after Hill District murder

PITTSBURGH — On Aug.15, 2019, 21-year-old Terrance Jones was murdered.

“Heartbroken, I don’t know what to say,” said Aletha Gray, Jones’s mother.

Aug. 15, 2022, marks three years since 21-year-old Terrance Jones was gunned down in an apartment stairwell on Chauncy Drive in the Hill District. According to police, on the night of the shooting there may have been multiple witnesses, but no one has come forward.

“I’m hoping to get justice for my son, and me and my family,” said Gray.

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Still overwhelmed by his passing, Gray says her son’s life was stolen. She described him as an athlete who was smart and had a bright future.

“He just graduated from bricklaying classes,” she explained.

Gray added that her son had also just begun his family, “He’d just had a son, he’s four now.”

Gray said with each passing day she fears that her community will forget her son. That is why she and her family decided to host a vigil in his honor in the place where he was killed, to encourage people to come forward with what they know.

“Come forward and say something,” pleaded Jones’s grandfather Ronnie Claybrooks. “They could call the homicide detectives, and do it anonymously, just share whatever they know, “added Claybrooks.

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This month Pittsburgh police are expected to launch a cold-case investigative unit. The department would begin with cases that occurred in the past five years where leads had been exhausted, but with few details, Jones’s family is uncertain if this will help his case.

“I’m a little hopeful, but not too optimistic,” said Claybrooks.

With candles lit and standing in the area where Terrance was killed – his family pleaded for answers and prayed that Terrance’s legacy would not be forgotten.

“Think about it, and maybe it will stop them from trying to kill someone,” said Claybrooks.

Pittsburgh police have announced what types of case will be reviewed under this new initiative; however, there is no word on any specific cases that will be at the top of their list.

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