New video shows crowd scattering after shots fired on South Side over Halloween weekend

PITTSBURGH — The sound of gunshots sent a panicked crowd celebrating Halloween over the weekend running down East Carson Street.

Two shots were fired at 14th and E. Carson streets around 2:45 a.m. Sunday.

Afterward, surveillance video shows one man appearing to pull out a gun tucked into his pants.

“Lately, there has been a lot more shootings and just not good stuff happening,” said one woman who did not want to be identified.

Some business owners, told Channel 11 off-camera, they were closing up when they and their customers heard the gunfire and hit the ground, terrified.

Cell phone video from a witness showed two officers running after someone seconds after that trigger was pulled the trigger. Witnesses said he got away.

No one was hurt in Sunday’s shooting. Pittsburgh police said the gunshots were fired into an empty car.

The shooting was never reported. A spokesperson for public safety said, “There are no arrests at this time, so that is why they did  not show up in the recap of arrests and citations.”

Rich Cupka, who owns Cupka’s Cafe 2 on East Carson, believes many more shootings across the city are either underreported or not reported at all.

“What we need is transparency of city government as to crime, shootings, and the ShotSpotter in South Side and across the city,” Cupka said.

Another problem is the overcrowding after bars close.

“It’s a public safety hazard because if anything happens, firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, they can’t get through,” said Cupka. “Someone’s going to get killed with all the people on the streets.”

The crowds were so big that early Sunday morning, they were spilling into the streets.

“There was quite a bustling crowd out and about,” said a woman who was out that night. “There would be crowds of people in and out, up and down the street.”

A total of 11 officers are dedicated to patrolling the South Side but many people Channel 11 spoke with said they’d like to see more.

“We need at least 25 to 40 extra cops on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights down here,” Cupka said.

Police said a criminal mischief investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

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