Suspect In Wilkinsburg Shooting In Court On Separate Charges
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One of the suspects in the Wilkinsburg mass shooting was back in court Tuesday in connection with a separate case.
"You gotta check those crooked cops. That's all I have to say. We ain't got nothing to say," said Adrien Falls, another defendant in the case, as he walked out of court.
Falls and his daughter, Chanel, are both facing a charge of hindering the apprehension of Cheron Shelton.
He is a suspect yet to be charged in the Wilkinsburg shooting that claimed the lives of five people and an unborn child on March 9.
"It's easy to call someone a suspect," said defense attorney Randall McKinney. "The difficult part comes when you actually have to substantiate that claim and provide some sort of evidence to support it. That has not happened to this date and we are three months in."
Shelton was also in court Tuesday. He is still in jail on gun violation charges and waived those to trial.
Investigators say days after the shooting massacre, they found a gun, ballistic vest and ammunition at Shelton's mother's home.
Police believe two guns were used in the shooting and 30 shell casings recovered at the scene are the same type of ammunition police say they recovered during that search warrant of Shelton's mother's home.
"The only thing out there is a blanket accusation with nothing to support it," said McKinney. "My suspicion is that there is no evidence to support that claim."
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Police served a sealed arrest warrant at the end of March to Adrian and Chanel Falls. Chanel and Shelton have a child together and remain in a close relationship.
McKinney said they had no idea why they were arrested until just days ago when the warrant was unsealed.
"Mr. Shelton hadn't even been named a suspect by the D.A.'s office until months afterwards," said McKinney. "So to presume that Adrian and Chanel knew something that no one else knew and to hold them responsible for knowledge they did not have, I think is unfair and we are looking forward to our day in court."
