VIDEO: Livestream inside Pittsburgh funeral captures the moments shots were fired outside

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Videographer ducked for cover as chaos erupted

Leon Rockymore ducked for cover as a barrage of gunfire could be heard inside the Destiny of Faith Church in Brighton Heights.

“It lasted for a good 2 and a half minutes. They were going at it for a while,” said Rockymore, whose production company, Roxamore’s Grief from Home Services, was livestreaming the funeral for 20-year-old John Hornezes, also a victim of gun violence.

The funeral had just started — the livestream rolling for just 48 seconds — when suddenly, the gunshots erupted. The gunfire happened just outside the church but could be heard clearly inside, sending people running and screaming.

Rockymore says he heard more than 60 rounds fired with high-powered weapons and saw three people hit.

“One guy that was shot was just lying in the lobby of the church, and I said, ‘OK, let’s put pressure on that,’” he said.

Suspicious activity

Before the shooting, Rockymore says he sensed that something bad was going to happen after witnessing suspicious activity before the service.

“You come to a funeral with a ski mask on, and I think intentions are very different than wearing an actual face mask,” he said, as multiple people could be seen wearing face coverings. “Something seemed off, and sure enough, it was. Next thing you know, shots rang all over the place, and all I could do was duck for cover.”

Rockymore said before the funeral started, people kept running back and forth to their cars, raising concerns. In response, the funeral director locked the doors, and that’s when the shooting happened.

“Some of the people who were shooting were some of the ones who had to stay outside,” he said.

Rockymore’s company has livestreamed funerals for the past four years and says he is troubled by how out of control youth violence has gotten.

“They think it’s OK to be reckless. They think it’s OK to do this. They think it’s OK to start shooting in broad daylight.”

Rockymore: Lack of consequences driving violence

Rockymore says it’s even more disturbing to see this happen at a church.

“To even dare do something like this in God’s house, I don’t think anybody would have. It’s reckless. At the end of the day, there’s no respect, no principles to be upheld.”

Rockymore is calling on community leaders to take dynamic action to do something to get through to young people to stop the violence.

“One, you can’t be afraid. Two, if you come from that life or have been in rehab, you should go back and teach because some of us dropped the ball and never taught the young ones how to respect.”