2 remaining co-defendants plead guilty for roles in fatal shooting of 1-year-old in Spring Hill

Two men involved in a summer afternoon shootout that left a 1-year-old dead in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill pleaded guilty Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

Devon Thompson, 40, of McKees Rocks, and Andre Crawford, 32, of McKeesport, appeared separately before Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente.

Those two men, along with Marvin Hill, 44, of Spring Hill, were all charged in connection with the Aug. 24, 2020, shootout at Three Rivers Manor housing complex that killed Zykier Young.

A jury found Hill guilty last week of voluntary manslaughter. He will be sentenced on Jan. 31.

As part of their own plea agreements in the case, both Thompson and Crawford testified against him.

Thompson, who has been in jail on the charges since September 2020, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault for shooting Hill. He was sentenced to 2½ to 5 years in prison, to be followed by four years of probation. Thompson was immediately paroled by the judge.

The prosecution withdrew a charge of criminal homicide against him shortly after he was arrested.

In exchange for Thompson’s plea Monday, Deputy District Attorney Ilan Zur also withdrew charges of attempted homicide and carrying a firearm without a license.

During sentencing, Thompson spoke briefly to the court, telling the judge that during his time in jail, he took advantage of drug and alcohol, anger management and parenting classes.

“I’m making better decisions in my life so I can move forward,” he said.

Thompson did not refer to Zykier or the infant’s death in his statement, but Zur said he had met with Thompson several times leading up to Hill’s trial.

“I do believe he has remorse over the incident,” Zur said. “He did turn himself in when he learned there were charges levied against him.”

As part of his plea agreement, Thompson testified against Hill, telling the jury that he was visiting his aunt in the complex that afternoon when he heard people screaming and yelling that Hill was outside with a gun.

“I went in a mode, I was going to be the one to stop it if someone started shooting,” Thompson testified. “My state of mind was if he raised the gun to fire, I was going to fire.”

When Hill raised the rifle he was holding, Thompson said he fired four or five times.

One shot struck Hill in the leg.

Hill retreated but then reemerged five minutes later, firing his rifle seven times, Zur said.

Crawford returned fire at Hill, shooting five times.

One of Crawford’s bullets went through the window of a nearby apartment building, traveled through three walls and struck Zykier as he lay in bed, killing him.

For his actions, Crawford pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and carrying a firearm without a license. Charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault were withdrawn. He will be sentenced Jan. 29.

At Hill’s trial, Crawford said he went to Three Rivers Manor that day to buy marijuana and saw Hill out with a rifle.

“He was screaming and yelling like he was enraged,” Crawford told the jury.

He said he wanted to leave, but Hill opened fire, so Crawford shot back.

A short time later, he left the complex. Crawford then learned that a baby had been shot.

“I was hoping and praying that the baby survived,” he told the jury.

He learned that night the baby died.

“It was hard to believe I was the one responsible for what happened,” Crawford told the jury. “I didn’t want to go to jail for being responsible for killing a baby.”