Police arrest, charge man in Meyran Avenue shooting case

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City police filed two criminal charges against a 20-year-old Clairton man in connection to a fatal April 1 shooting on Meyran Avenue. 

Devlin Clifford II faces one charge each of criminal homicide and criminal conspiracy to commit homicide related to former Pitt student Esam Hossain’s death.

According to a criminal complaint filed by City police detective Jason Farrell, Clifford drove the white Lincoln MKZ sedan used by himself and two unidentified men as a getaway vehicle in the incident.

Security camera footage recovered by the police and Clifford’s phone showed the car driving into Pittsburgh via Carson Street and then around Oakland streets around 11:45 p.m., prior to the shooting which occurred at about 12:33 a.m., the complaint said. The two men exited the vehicle on Bates Street, and then re-entered near the corner of Meyran Avenue and Bates Street. A third unidentified man, appearing to talk on his cellphone, was also seen leaving the crime scene heading down Bates Street.

Witnesses and recovered security camera footage confirmed at least two men were involved in the shooting. Officers noted two different types of bullet casings in the street, according to the complaint, also leading them to believe there were two shooters.

Using surveillance camera plate readers, according to the complaint, police tracked the car driving on the night of the incident from Oakland to Clairton, located about 25 minutes south of the City. The police found the vehicle parked outside Clifford’s residence and arrested him there.

After noticing the police officers’ homicide badges and being told they were investigating an early morning homicide, Clifford talked briefly with them, the complaint said.

“Homicide, I didn’t kill anyone,” Clifford said, according to the complaint. “I didn’t shoot anyone. I was here all night and not even in Oakland.”

Clifford was denied bail, and is currently being held in the Allegheny County Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 19.