3 motorcycle club members charged in fatal White Oak shooting
Police believe Kenneth Hayman was killed last month in retaliation for a fight he had with a Pagan.
Newly unsealed court documents show that weeks of undercover surveillance and intercepted calls on members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club led investigators to the three men now charged in the shooting death of Kenneth Hayman outside a White Oak Wendy’s.
The records, obtained Monday, outline how detectives had been monitoring the club ahead of the Oct. 12 shooting.
That work, combined with witness statements gathered after the killing, helped police connect the confrontation at Jacks Run Road and Lincoln Way to a growing dispute between two motorcycle groups.
According to our news partners at WTAE, the unsealed documents show that Jacob Baker was recorded on intercepted calls admitting he shot Hayman and believed he “hit him multiple times with gunfire.”
The filings also identify Baker, Albert Renchko and Victor Cruz as members of the Pagans, with Cruz listed as president of the club’s Irwin chapter.
Investigators wrote that the three men were looking to retaliate against Hayman, a member of the War Dogs Motorcycle Club.
Police say Hayman had recently been involved in a fight with another Pagan in Washington County, a dispute they believe set the stage for the encounter in White Oak.
According to police, Hayman was stopped on his motorcycle at the intersection when a Chevrolet Silverado pulled up behind him.
Baker, Renchko and Cruz got out wearing masks. Court papers note that Hayman got off his bike and tried to take cover.
WTAE reports that surveillance video captured Hayman and Baker shooting at each other before the three men ran back to their truck and sped off.
Hayman made it into the Wendy’s to seek help, but he died at a hospital a short time later.
All three suspects were charged Nov. 5.
Cruz and Renchko face conspiracy and aggravated assault, while Baker faces those charges along with homicide.
Renchko and Baker remain in Allegheny County Jail with no bail.
Cruz was released on his own recognizance Oct. 30 while he awaits his next court date.
According to court dockets, all three men are scheduled for formal arraignments Jan. 13 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
