Rael
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2008
- Messages
- 3,524
At least six people were killed and several others wounded tonight when a gunman walked into a fitness center in the Great Southern Shopping Center in Collier and opened fire.
An Allegheny County policeman said he believes one of the dead was the gunman. Witnesses said they saw two to four wounded women lying outside the back door and two others lying in a parking lot at the side of the LA Fitness center along Washington Pike.
Witnesses said a gunman wearing a black hat walked into an aerobics room filled with women shortly after 8 p.m., turned out the lights and opened fire.
Witnesses reported hearing dozens of gunshots before the shooting stopped.
"All of a sudden there was a really loud noise," said Julia Zorzi, 27, of Crafton, who was on a treadmill on the main floor when the gunfire began. "I heard 40 to 50 shots, and I hit the deck. I saw people running out. I ran outside and there were two girls lying outside."
Police and paramedics from throughout the South Hills and Pittsburgh responded to the shootings shortly after 8 p.m.
A hospital spokesperson put the death toll at six, including the gunman.
"The shots came very fast," Zorzi said. "It sounded like he was using a serious piece of machinery."
Five women were taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, with multiple gunshot wounds. All were in critical conditions, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Reporters were kept away from people waiting outside the hospital.
Two women, ages 19 and 31, arrived at Allegheny General Hospital, North Side, about 9 p.m., spokesman Dan Laurent said. He had no information on their conditions or injuries. The hospital's trauma team was tending to them.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as people ran from the gunman, ducking behind trees, running up hillsides, crouching behind parked cars.
"He kept firing and firing," said Dennis Curry, 28, of Scott, who said he was working out on an elliptical machine upstairs when he heard the gunfire. "There was chaos. I ran out the back door, saw a girl lying there with a gunshot wound. I put a shirt on her to try and stop (the bleeding). There was blood everywhere."
She asked Curry to call her fiance to tell him she would be all right, he said.
Michael Hentosz, 21, of Collier said he carried from the building a woman who had been shot once in the thigh.
"She kept saying she thought she was going to die," Hentosz said. He waited with her until paramedics took her away.
He was doing curls with free weights when the shooting started. He had on headphones, and first noticed people running.
"It was like thud after thud," Hentosz said. "I probably heard 20 shots, but I had on headphones for about the first 10 shots."
If you witnessed the shooting or know someone who was there, call the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newsroom at 412-320-7829.
Stay with TRIBLive for updates to come.
An Allegheny County policeman said he believes one of the dead was the gunman. Witnesses said they saw two to four wounded women lying outside the back door and two others lying in a parking lot at the side of the LA Fitness center along Washington Pike.
Witnesses said a gunman wearing a black hat walked into an aerobics room filled with women shortly after 8 p.m., turned out the lights and opened fire.
Witnesses reported hearing dozens of gunshots before the shooting stopped.
"All of a sudden there was a really loud noise," said Julia Zorzi, 27, of Crafton, who was on a treadmill on the main floor when the gunfire began. "I heard 40 to 50 shots, and I hit the deck. I saw people running out. I ran outside and there were two girls lying outside."
Police and paramedics from throughout the South Hills and Pittsburgh responded to the shootings shortly after 8 p.m.
A hospital spokesperson put the death toll at six, including the gunman.
"The shots came very fast," Zorzi said. "It sounded like he was using a serious piece of machinery."
Five women were taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, with multiple gunshot wounds. All were in critical conditions, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Reporters were kept away from people waiting outside the hospital.
Two women, ages 19 and 31, arrived at Allegheny General Hospital, North Side, about 9 p.m., spokesman Dan Laurent said. He had no information on their conditions or injuries. The hospital's trauma team was tending to them.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as people ran from the gunman, ducking behind trees, running up hillsides, crouching behind parked cars.
"He kept firing and firing," said Dennis Curry, 28, of Scott, who said he was working out on an elliptical machine upstairs when he heard the gunfire. "There was chaos. I ran out the back door, saw a girl lying there with a gunshot wound. I put a shirt on her to try and stop (the bleeding). There was blood everywhere."
She asked Curry to call her fiance to tell him she would be all right, he said.
Michael Hentosz, 21, of Collier said he carried from the building a woman who had been shot once in the thigh.
"She kept saying she thought she was going to die," Hentosz said. He waited with her until paramedics took her away.
He was doing curls with free weights when the shooting started. He had on headphones, and first noticed people running.
"It was like thud after thud," Hentosz said. "I probably heard 20 shots, but I had on headphones for about the first 10 shots."
If you witnessed the shooting or know someone who was there, call the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newsroom at 412-320-7829.
Stay with TRIBLive for updates to come.
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Well just the thought of that artificially inflated death toll makes me scared enough to give up my guns, how bout you? I mean, it's not like someone with a concealed carry handgun could have stopped this a lot sooner.
