Police following leads after fatal shooting
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
State police are looking into several leads in hopes of determining who was responsible for a shooting that left one man dead in Donora Wednesday evening.
Trooper Robert Broadwater, public information officer for state police Troop B, said Thursday that the Major Case and Forensic units are investigating the shooting.
“They have several leads that they are following,” Broadwater said.
The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Nicholas Tarpley, 28, of Donora and said he was part owner of Anna Lee’s Convenience Store, where the shooting took place.
The coroner’s office said the incident happened around 5:07 p.m. while the victim was working at the store, which is at the corner of Allen Avenue and Fifth Street.
Tarpley was pronounced dead at 6:48 p.m.
A large presence of state, Donora and other local police were on scene for several hours Wednesday night as a large group of the victim’s family members stood across the street awaiting answers and consoling one another.
Broadwater said police don’t know if the shooting was random or targeted. Information and evidence is still being processed.
Broadwater said that as a Mon Valley native, he knows Donora to be a nice community and that it’s home to good people.
“We’re hoping people in that community will come forward,” he said.
Anyone who lives near the scene and saw anything suspicious or who has information about the shooting is asked to reach out to state police or the Donora Police Department.
Broadwater said police have no evidence to show that the community is in danger or that there is an immediate threat to the public.
State police have not revealed if there is any evidence of items being taken from the store during the incident. It’s also not clear how many people were inside the store when the shooting occurred.
Neighbors, friends and family members on scene as police investigated Wednesday told Broadwater that Tarpley was respected and well liked.
A family member, who asked not to be identified, told reporters “he didn’t deserve this.”
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