Funeral services planned for 2 teens killed at Pittsburgh Airbnb party

Arrangements have been finalized for two teens killed on Easter Sunday after a shooting at a party in a rented house on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

About 200 people were inside the home, rented as an Airbnb, when the shooting started, witnesses and police said.

Jaiden Za’mar Brown, of North Braddock, will be laid to rest Friday. The funeral for Mathew Steffy-Ross, of Pitcairn, is Saturday.

They were both 17 years old.

Brown, a student at Woodland Hills High School, leaves behind his mother and grandmother and 11 siblings, according to an online obituary from Watts Memorial Chapel in Braddock. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Living Water Ministry, 736 Washington Ave., in Braddock.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday, at the church. Interment will be at Monongahela Cemetery.

Steffy-Ross’ family released a statement on Thursday that said visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at Coston Funeral Homes, 427 Lincoln Ave. in East Liberty. A funeral service will be private.

Steffy-Ross’ family is asking for donations to help cover funeral expenses. Those wishing to give are asked to contact the funeral home directly by calling 412-661-5916. Please mention Steffy-Ross’ name when making a donation.

Steffy-Ross’s family needs to raise $10,000 for funeral costs, according to East Liberty-based Youth Enrichment Services founder and executive director Dennis Floyd Jones. Steffy-Ross had been enrolled at the nonprofit organization since 2015. It mentors young people and offers academic assistance and guidance to inspire them to become leaders.

Jones said his organization has committed to paying for the funeral luncheon.

Steffy-Ross and his older brother Alden were cared for by their grandmother, Trudy, until her death three years ago. Steffy-Ross’ great-aunt, Bonnie McLain, took over as caregiver because the parents were too ill to care for the children, according to the family.

His grandmother’s death hit Steffy-Ross very hard, the family said. He became involved with people who did not have his best interest at heart, they said. Like all teens, Steffy-Ross made some bad decisions, the family said.

As he grew older he matured, and didn’t want to “remain in the dark places he found himself in,” and was “led to places that did have his best interest at heart.”

There were other students from Youth Enrichment Services who attended the party, Jones said.

“Kids hear about a party and they want to be a part of that,” Jones said. “They are curious, and they want to be with their friends and re-connect since they’ve been apart for two years because of the pandemic. We have great kids who are polite and bright. They just lack some resources and support. Mathew was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

In the statement, the family said, “Steffy-Ross had a heart as big as the world. When his loved ones and those around him were asked about Matt’s exceptional qualities, the stories about the instances when Matt exemplified his giving heart were endless.”

Unfortunately, he never got to reach his full potential, said Miles Porter, a mentor at Youth Enrichment Services.

“Mathew’s light is shining brighter than it ever did before. His family knows they may not be able to share his light in this lifetime but will share it with him one day beyond this earthly realm,” the family said.

Jones said he saw Steffy-Ross last Thursday.

“He was smiling,” Jones said. “When I walked past a trash can yesterday, I noticed it was full. Matt always emptied the trash for us before he left for the day.”