Teen Beaten At Group Home Dies In Hospital

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office confirms a teen beaten at a Carrick group home has died.

Nicholas Grant, 16, of Indiana, Pa., was already pronounced dead; however, as of Wednesday morning, he was still at UPMC Mercy Hospital, expected to be pulled off life support today.

Grant was found unresponsive at the Circle C Group Home Saturday night after police say he was beaten with a vacuum cleaner hose.

On Monday, 16-year-old Malik Crosby and 15-year-old Yusuf Shepard were charged in connection to the attack.

"A situation like this is really horrific that a child could be injured in a group home," Marc Cherna, the director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, said.

Cherna says the Allegheny County Department of Human Services contracts out these group homes. Most of the teens are there for six months to a year, unable to be with their families for various reasons. Right now, it is unclear why the fight happened.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Meanwhile, both suspects remain in the Allegheny County Jail and are expected to be in court this Friday.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office spokesperson says additional charges may be filed, pending the autopsy.

Rich Knouff, the executive director of the home, said in a statement:

"Our focus has always been on providing safe environments for our residents and staff, and that will never change. We continue to work with authorities to investigate what led to the altercation, and are reviewing all of our systems and processes. The work we do for at-risk youth comes, not surprisingly, with many risks. We remain committed to helping Pittsburgh's troubled youth break these terrible cycles of violence."

The incident is being investigated by Pittsburgh Police, Allegheny County Police and state departments.

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