Teen claimed fatal shooting of Gateway student in Pittsburgh was accidental

The weekend shooting that left one teenager dead and another facing homicide charges could have been accidental, according to charges filed by Pittsburgh police.

Aliah Johnson, 17, a Gateway High School student, was pronounced dead Saturday night at a home in the city’s Point Breeze North neighborhood.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said Johnson was at the home of her boyfriend, 16-year-old Emeka Moye-King.

Moye-King’s mother called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. to report that her son had shot his girlfriend in the face. She said her son and Johnson had been on the second floor of the home where she could hear them “laughing and joking around,” according to the complaint. She said she heard a loud sound, and her son ran downstairs and said he’d shot Johnson.

The woman said her son ran back upstairs and held Johnson until police arrived, according to the complaint. She said she did not know her son had a gun.

Moye-King said he and Johnson had been in his bedroom watching television when the shooting happened, police said. The teen said he handed Johnson his Glock 30 handgun to “look over” while she sat on the end of his bed – something he said he’d done before, according to the complaint.

He said he took the gun back and was putting it on his dresser with his left hand – finger on the trigger – when the gun went off, according to the complaint. He ran downstairs calling his mother for help, and he hid the gun in his closet before she got to the room, police said.

Moye-King remained in Allegheny County Jail on Monday, having been denied bail. He is charged with homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor. Court records did not list a defense attorney for Moye-King on Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3.