Two men and one woman pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with a 2022 shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where a barrage of dozens of gunshots killed Stephone Drayton and injured three others.

Hezekiah Nixon, 19, of Pittsburgh; Andrew Johnson, 29, of Coraopolis; and Tylajae Allen, 24, of Pittsburgh, stood separately in front of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin Sasinoski and Drayton’s family, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit homicide and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Johnson also faced a firearms count. Allen was charged in a separate incident with possession of fentanyl, oxycodone and marijuana. Prosecutors withdrew several other charges.

Sasinoski sentenced Johnson to 6 1/2 to 13 years in jail and Allen to 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail.

Nixon will be sentenced on Sept. 2.

Also on Sept. 2, Nixon’s jury trial is set to begin in an October 2022 shooting near a Brighton Heights church following a funeral service for another shooting victim weeks earlier.

Nixon, 17 at the time of that shooting, faces attempted homicide, aggravated assault and other charges in the second case.

It remained unclear Thursday who fired the fatal shots on Aug. 7, 2022, that killed Drayton, 40.

Gunfire erupted shortly before 10 p.m. on the 1500 to 1700 blocks of Brighton Place in Pittsburgh’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood, police said.

The gunshot detection system ShotSpotter detected six bursts of gunshots over 50 seconds — about 55 shots altogether, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

“There’s absolutely no evidence that Mr. Johnson hit anyone with any shots — he didn’t hit the victim,” attorney Charles Porter told the judge. “While his part is certainly serious, he was not the person who initiated this.”

Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Emma Schoedel countered with the toll Drayton’s death has left on his surviving family.

“Their loss is permanent,” Schoedel said. “I ask that you fashion a sentence … to reflect the loss they now are feeling.”

Porter sought a five- to 10-year prison sentence for Johnson, his client. Sasinoski’s sentence was longer.

Drayton’s survivors offered testimony about their mourning and the role Drayton played in their lives.

“Stephone was more than just a father; he was our protector,” said Leslie Brown, who was raising four daughters with Drayton. “He had dreams, big dreams — such as owning his own business.”

Brown also recounted how she fell to the floor, weeping, when she got the phone call that Drayton had been fatally shot.

“Since then, there hasn’t been a day without pain,” she said.

Brown’s daughter, Raeyah , spoke so quietly before Johnson’s sentencing that the courtroom’s microphones couldn’t pick up much of her statement.

Two sentences, though, were clear: “He was my best friend” and “I think about him every day.”

Prosecutors also offered statements from Drayton’s mother and sister.

“Losing my brother … is probably the worst thing I’ve experienced in my life,” said Cherilyn Davis, Drayton’s sister.

The defendants, all sporting neon-yellow Allegheny County Jail jumpsuits, made few comments Thursday beyond the requisite “yes” or “yes, sir” responses to the judge’s questions.

Allen, who entered the courtroom on crutches, thanked the judge and her attorney, Michael Machen, before sentencing.

Drayton’s family declined to comment outside the courtroom.

In 2022, Pittsburgh police said they used footage from multiple cameras across the North Side and recorded video calls from the Allegheny County Jail to piece together the movements of the shooting suspects before, during and after the shooting.

Left at the scene was a red Hyundai — running, key in the ignition, door ajar — that was crashed into a parked car, according to the criminal complaint against Johnson.

The Hyundai had been shot multiple times, police said.

Surveillance footage from the area showed four people in a Ford Escape jumping out of the vehicle on California Avenue and opening fire toward the scene of the fatality on Brighton Place, according to the complaint. The four took off, and another individual shot at the driver of the Escape as it fled.

Those in the Hyundai also were seen shooting at a group of people gathered near Brighton Place before crashing into a parked car, police wrote. At least one of the Hyundai’s passengers got out of the car and continued firing toward Brighton Place.

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