Authorities ID slain Pittsburgh garbage collector

The Allegheny County medical examiner has identified a Pittsburgh garbage collector who was gunned down as he began his shift Monday morning.

Investigators said the shooting occurred about 7 a.m. as 29-year-old Omar Hodges waited in a car for his crew to pick him up for work. He was parked in an area where refuse employees waited to begin their shifts.

Neighbors told Channel 11 News that they heard six to seven gunshots in the area of Brownsville Road at Birmingham Avenue in Carrick around 7 a.m.

People who live nearby said when the gunfire stopped, they stepped outside and saw the man lying on the ground.

“When you can hear it from your house, it’s too much,” said Carrick resident Chris Hutchin.

One person told Channel 11’s Brittny McGraw that a woman and child waiting near the intersection had to duck behind a car when the shooting happened.

“I looked and saw a lady hiding behind a car with her child and she said, ‘They’re shooting,’” Justin Lachoppa said. “I came and ran beside my building. I saw a white car come peeling out this way then I saw a can coming this way. Whatever they were doing, they were shoving stuff in a paper bag, so I called police.”

Investigators said they are looking for a silver or gray four-door Nissan Altima that may be connected to the shooting.

Garbage collection was scheduled normally despite the Columbus Day holiday, which closed state and federal courts and some other government offices.

“Pittsburgh police detectives are responding to this and other recent incidents swiftly, firmly and appropriately,” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said Monday afternoon.

Public safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler said Hodges had worked for the city since January 2013.

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Officials haven’t said whether they believe Hodges was the target of the shooting, or whether he was struck by shots intended for another target.

“I think it’s horrible. People need to learn how to solve their problems without shooting,” Hutchin said.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact police.