Morning Roundup: 3 out-of-state men charged with trespassing at vacant Pittsburgh school
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 27:
3 out of state men charged with trespassing at vacant Pittsburgh school
Pittsburgh police said three men traveled halfway across the country to break into an abandoned school Monday in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood.
Sean Alvarez, 23, of Kansas, Kai Oritz, 21, of Illinois and Pearson Phillips, 22, of Illinois were charged with felony trespassing.
Police were called to what was initially believed to be a burglary around 4 p.m., according to a criminal complaint. When officers arrived, the complaint continued, they spotted someone inside the building and “due to the size of the structure and multiple suspects reported to be inside” called in a SWAT team.
Attempts to hail the men out of the building via loudspeaker were unsuccessful, according to police. They eventually exited through the back around 5 p.m. and were detained at gunpoint.
Alvarez told police the group enters buildings across the country to take pictures, the complaint stated. He also allegedly said they were aware of the police presence, but decided to hide.
The property had “no trespassing” signs posted, according to police.
The men’s backpacks mostly contained camera equipment and medicine, police said.
Knoxville Middle School closed in the 2006. It is owned by the city.
2 teens shot in Duquesne
Two teenagers were shot Sunday evening in Duquesne.
According to Allegheny County Police, dispatch was notified around 10 p.m. of a shooting in the 600 block of Catherine Street. First responders found two teenage boys shot, one in the leg and the other in the upper torso and leg.
They were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Police said they have early indications a dark-colored SUV drove past a group of juveniles on Catherine Street and fired multiple shots.
Allegheny County detectives are investigating.
Anyone with information can call the county police tip line at 1-833-255-8477 (ALL-TIPS).
Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering business and health care. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at
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