Father, son charged in North Side shootings that sent 2 to hospital (PA)

[TowNews]

 

 

 

Pittsburgh police have arrested a father and son in connection with Thursday night shootings that injured two people in the city’s North Side.

 

Kurt Ianuzzo, 51, and Jake Ianuzzo, 22, both of the North Side, are both charged with three counts each of attempted homicide and aggravated assault as well as firing a gun into an occupied structure.

 

Police filed an additional weapons charge against Kurt Ianuzzo.

 

Officers responded to multiple Shotspotter alerts about 10:40 p.m. Thursday in the 1000 block of Woods Run Avenue.

 

They found a male victim with a gunshot wound to his back in a home in the 900 block of Woods Run.

 

The victim, who was taken by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition, told police he was shot in the back while watching television in his bedroom, according to court documents.

 

A second victim, who was shot in the ankle, was found sitting in a tow truck at Woods Run and Maridale Avenue. They also were taken to the hospital, but they were listed in stable condition, police said.

 

The second victim and the Ianuzzos are tow truck drivers, the victim told investigators. The victim and a sibling confronted the Ianuzzos at the father and son’s Woods Run home after the Ianuzzos arrived first at the scene of an earlier wreck on Route 65 at the McKees Rocks Bridge and an argument ensued, according to court papers.

The victim told police the Ianuzzos went inside their house and each returned with a gun and began shooting at the victim, who noticed the ankle wound while driving away.

 

Court documents indicate Kurt Ianuzzo told police that he returned fire after the victim and sibling allegedly shot first and that “his son had nothing to do with it.”

 

Police said surveillance video shows the Ianuzzos emerging from their house with Kurt carrying two firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun, and Jake carrying an assault rifle.

 

The victim and sibling, who did not appear to be armed, were “approximately four houses down the street and Jake and Kurt began to fire in their direction,” according to court documents.

 

The Ianuzzos were firing in the direction of the home where the man watching television was struck, police said.

Video footage shows that “Jake and Kurt then run onto the front porch and continue to shoot in a reckless manner down Woods Run Avenue,” court papers state.

 

Both suspects were placed in the Allegheny County Jail, where they are awaiting preliminary hearings.

 

Resource Link

[TowNews]

North Side father, son sentenced in shooting that injured 2

A Pittsburgh tow-truck driver is going to prison, and his son is getting probation after 18 months in Allegheny County Jail, for their roles in a February 2022 shooting that injured two people.

 

Common Pleas Judge Bruce R. Beemer on Thursday sentenced Kurt Ianuzzo, 53, of Pittsburgh’s North Side, to 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison for aggravated assault, with four years of probation to follow on two more aggravated assault charges, court records show.

 

Kurt Ianuzzo pleaded guilty in June to all three assault charges, court records show.

 

Beemer on Thursday sentenced Jake Ianuzzo, 24, Kurt’s son, also of the North Side, to 18 to 36 months in prison on a firearms charge, followed by three years of probation, court records show. Jake Ianuzzo served 545 days — about 18 months — in Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial, however, so Beemer sentenced him to time served and ordered him to be paroled this week.

 

Jake Ianuzzo pleaded guilty in June to firearms charges and three counts of recklessly endangering another person, court records show.

 

Both men were charged in February 2022 with three counts each of attempted homicide and aggravated assault, as well as firing a gun into an occupied structure. Police initially filed an additional weapons charge against Kurt Ianuzzo.

 

Attorneys for the Ianuzzos were not available Friday for comment.

 

Officers responded to multiple Shotspotter alerts in the North Side, near Allegheny General Hospital, at about 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 10, 2022, Pittsburgh police spokesperson Cara Cruz said at the time. They found a male victim with a gunshot wound to his back in a home in the 900 block of Woods Run.

 

The victim, who was taken by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition, told police he was shot in the back while watching television in his bedroom, according to court documents.

A second victim, who was shot in the ankle, was found sitting in a tow truck at Woods Run and Maridale Avenue, police said. They also were taken to the hospital, and were listed in stable condition.

 

The second victim and the Ianuzzos are tow-truck drivers, the criminal complaint said.

 

The victim and a sibling confronted the Ianuzzos at their Woods Run home after the Ianuzzos arrived first at the scene of a wreck on Route 65 at the McKees Rocks Bridge, the criminal complaint said. An argument ensued.

 

The victim told police the Ianuzzos went inside their house and each returned with a gun and began shooting at the victim, who noticed the ankle wound while driving away.

 

Court documents indicate Kurt Ianuzzo told police that he returned fire after the victim and sibling allegedly shot first. Kurt Ianuzzo said “his son had nothing to do with it,” police said.

 

Police said surveillance video showed Kurt Ianuzzo emerging from his home with two firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun. Jake Ianuzzo carried an assault rifle, police said.

 

The victim and sibling, who did not appear to be armed, were “approximately four houses down the street and Jake and Kurt began to fire in their direction,” the criminal complaint said.

 

The Ianuzzos were firing in the direction of the home where the man watching television was struck, police said.

 

Video footage showed that “Jake and Kurt then run onto the front porch and continue to shoot in a reckless manner down Woods Run Avenue,” the criminal complaint said.

 

A judge denied both Ianuzzos bail after their arrest on Feb. 12, 2022, court records show. They have been at the Downtown jail since that time.

 

RESOURCE LINK