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Christmas Tree Saves Family When Gunfire Rings Out In Jeannette

JEANNETTE (KDKA) -- When shots rang out in a Westmoreland County neighborhood, one woman was wounded.

The alleged shooter is in jail and several homes were left bullet ridden.

North First Street in Jeannette is a quiet stretch lined with big old houses, many of them decorated for the holiday season, but Tuesday around 10:30 p.m., the silence was broken.

According to police, 35-year-old Dionne Lee McKelvin is accused of shooting a woman in the arm and chest during a drive-by shooting.

Her name and condition are unknown, but we do know police had McKelvin in custody less than 10 minutes after the shooting after he was identified by eyewitnesses.

Tina Smorey's house was hit by a stray bullet.

It went through the front of the house, coming out in her living room wall and hitting the Christmas tree.

She told KDKA's Brenda Waters: "I was sitting on my couch and I heard six to eight loud pops. If the tree wasn't there, we would have had that couch right under the windows; but ironically, we put the tree up early this year.

Thankfully, no one else was hurt.

The suspect, McKelvin is in the Westmoreland County Prison under $500,000 bond.

In addition to attempted homicide, he is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

RELATED LINKS:
More Jeannette News
More Westmoreland County News
More Reports by Brenda Waters

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