Police: New Kensington Double-Murder Suspect Found Dead
NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) – Police identified the man they claim was responsible for a shooting that left two people dead in August.
According to police, the shooting happened in the 400-block of Fourth Avenue in New Kensington on Aug. 20.
John Russ, 43, of New Kensington, was found dead inside of a white Hyundai. His girlfriend, Shannon Bongartz, 28, of Penn Hills, was found dead in the street a few feet away.
Today, New Kensington Police Chief Thomas Klawinski said 18-year-old Brian Hall was the shooter.
However, Hall was found dead in Homewood on Aug. 21.
New Kensington Police believe Russ ripped off Hall in a drug deal.
"This was a drug debt. All the informants we've talked to, friends of both victims have told us that our deceased, Mr. Russ, had actually ripped off Brian Hall, the suspect in this murder, for a substantial amount of money and some drugs," New Kensington Police Chief Thomas Klawinski said.
They say they suspected Hall as the gunman early on, but it took this long to confirm their suspicions.
"What has taken so long to announce this has been - we've conducted search warrants of a residence, we've applied for search warrants for phone records, that type of thing." Chief Klawinski said.
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