Police charge teens allegedly involved in daytime shootout last month

Two teenagers face charges in connection to a daytime shootout in the street near a daycare in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood in late June, court records show.

Ian Cook, 18, is accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy in the face, according to a criminal complaint.

Both were shot and treated at the hospital for their injuries.

Cook, who told police he did not fire a gun nor remember what happened that afternoon in June, was charged Tuesday with attempted homicide and aggravated assault, the complaint said.

The 16-year-old boy and Cook each face a charge of carrying a firearm without a license.

The Tribune-Review generally does not identify suspects who are under 18.

An attorney for the 16-year-old could not be reached late Wednesday.

‘Get that dude off my street’

The 16-year-old boy’s attorney told police that he fired at Cook in self-defense, the complaint said.

The boy spent the morning of June 26 helping his mother move, then took a break to meet up with an old friend at Charles Street Cafe on Norwood Avenue, the complaint said.

The friend was with a girl whom the 16-year-old did not know, who turned out to be Cook’s girlfriend, the complaint said.

The trio left the cafe and was headed to a nearby house of another friend when Cook called the girl, the 16-year-old boy’s attorney told investigators.

“Get that dude off my street,” Cook reportedly told her, referring to the 16-year-old boy, the complaint said.

After they got to a residence in the 2600 block of Norwood Avenue, the boy saw a shirtless man he identified as Cook standing outside, the boy’s attorney’s told investigators.

Cook also lives on Norwood Avenue, records show.

The boy reported that he then saw Cook reach into his pants pocket, pull out a purple-and-black gun and fire at him, the complaint said.

The 16-year-old suspect admitted to police that he had a gun on him and fired back, the complaint said.

Amid the confrontation, the 16-year-old boy struck a parked car with his body, then he took off running into an alleyway “into which he ran to get away from Mr. Cook,” the complaint said.

The boy made it into a nearby house, placed his gun along the walkway and called for medical help, the complaint said.

No children or other bystanders were hurt in the shooting, which happened around 2:30 p.m. in the same block as Angel’s Place daycare program, which was open.

Cook denies allegations

Cook denied his involvement in the shooting during several interviews with investigators, police said.

Cook told police he did not fire a gun and does not possess one.

On the day of the shooting, detectives saw a .380-caliber bullet casing fall out of Cook’s clothing, the complaint said.

Detectives found a trail of blood and a magazine clip with one round of ammunition in the Arvada Way alleyway that links to Norwood Avenue. Fingerprints and DNA evidence from the clip matched the 16-year-old boy’s, the complaint said.

Investigators spotted more blood leading from the alley to Luray Street to the Norwood Avenue home where medics found the 16-year-old suffering from gunshot wounds to his face. They say they found a blood-covered, 9mm handgun with no ammo magazine in it outside that residence. Police say the gun matched the ammunition clip found in the alley.