U.S. Attorney Hickton: "Making Every Resource Available" In Wilkinsburg Investigation

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The pain of Wednesday night's mass shooting in Wilkinsburg is still fresh.

Two men opened fire at a backyard cookout. Five people and one victim's unborn child were killed.

In the immediate aftermath of the horrific shootings, U.S. Attorney David Hickton called the Wilkinsburg Police chief and the Allegheny County Police superintendent.

He offered them every possible federal resource to assist in their investigation, including agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"We've pledged and offered federal resources. I think you see some of that in your reporting, with the ATF reward and other federal resources. We're working on it, but I can't really say more than that," said Hickton.

People have been asked to call 1-800-ATF-GUNS with reward money available if the information does lead to the arrest.

Beyond that, Hickton would not confirm the involvement of the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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But while this is and will remain a local investigation, federal agents like ATF's Chris Taylor are lending all possible assistance.

"We are making every resource available to the superintendent to help solve these crimes and bring these perpetrators to justice," said Taylor.

If or when the ATF recovers the weapons, it will attempt to trace the ownership to assist in identifying the suspects.

Hickton said the horrifying shootings highlight the ongoing effort to rein in the spread of illegal weapons, many of which have been stolen and sold for drugs.

"Theft of weapons is on the rise, your viewers should understand it is part of the drug problem, particularly the opioid problem, weapons are being stolen are a greater rate," Hickton said. "But we're working with all involved to come up with all sort of solutions to reduce the availability of these weapons.