Woman accused of fatally shooting man outside party

She told police she fired in self-defense, but found afterward that the victim was not armed.

By BRIAN C. RITTMEYER
TribLive

A Clairton woman is accused of fatally shooting a man in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood last week.

Pittsburgh police charged Nykia Pearl Ann Edwards, 21, with criminal homicide and other charges Friday in connection with the death of 47-year-old Neill Yackovich.

According to a criminal complaint, Yackovich was reported shot in the area of Butler Street and Stanton Avenue around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Yackovich was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where he died just before 4:30 a.m. An autopsy found he had been shot once in his abdomen.

Detectives were told that the suspect may have come from an address on Butler Street, where there was an Airbnb party, the complaint states.

Police gathered video evidence from several cameras in the area. In the complaint, police say the videos show a woman shooting Yackovich, and another chasing after him.

Police interviewed the renter of the Airbnb, who identified the shooter as Edwards, the complaint states. Authorities arrested Edwards at her home on Friday.

Police said Edwards agreed to speak with them. According to the complaint, Edwards said she was outside when her girlfriend saw Yackovich approaching them and said, “Who’s that?”

Because she is paranoid that people are trying to kill her, Edwards told police that hearing “Who’s that” caused her to panic and she ran toward the corner of Butler and Stanton, four buildings down from the Airbnb, the complaint states.

As Yackovich was running toward Edwards, he was being chased by Edwards’ cousin, who was also at the party, according to the complaint. The cousin was yelling, “Don’t do it,” which Edwards told police meant for her to not shoot him.

Edwards said Yackovich did not threaten her but was running at her with his fists clenched and she believed he had something sharp and silver, possibly a pocketknife, in his right hand, the complaint states. After shooting Yackovich once, Edwards said she realized he did not have anything in his hands.

Edwards told police she was defending herself, but also said, “I didn’t mean to shoot him. I (messed) up. I shouldn’t have shot him,” the complaint states.

Police said none of the videos they reviewed showed Yackovich with a weapon or trying to hit Edwards.

Edward said she fled back to the Airbnb, where she climbed out a bedroom window and threw her gun, a Taurus 9mm, in a yard before getting on a bus to the South Side, the complaint states.

Police said Edwards does not have a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, and was not permitted to possess a firearm because she was a fugitive wanted on a bench warrant since April 2024 from Homestead, where she was charged with receiving stolen property and traffic offenses.

Edwards was denied bail when she was arraigned Saturday and being held in the Allegheny County Jail. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 8.