Pittsburgh woman arrested in fatal East Hills shooting

Pittsburgh police have arrested a Pittsburgh woman in the fatal shooting of a man late Thursday in the city’s East Hills neighborhood.

Toddia Smiley, 25, is charged with criminal homicide and tampering with evidence in the death of Damien Jackson, 29, of Homestead.

Officers responded around 10:45 p.m. and found Jackson shot inside an apartment in the 2100 block of Park Hill Drive, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Smiley admitted she shot Jackson after engaging in an evening of drinking with him and his sister in the sister’s apartment. According to court documents, Smiley said she left the apartment after Jackson began arguing with her and made her feel threatened, allegedly telling her he would “smoke” her.

Smiley told authorities Jackson spit on her and struck her in the side of the face as she was leaving. According to police, she said Jackson again argued with her and struck the side of her face when she returned to the apartment to retrieve her cell phone.

Smiley told investigators she took out her pistol and shot Jackson when she “thought she saw him reaching for something with his left hand.” She admitted that she did not see Jackson with a weapon, according to court documents.

Jackson’s sister told investigators that her brother pushed and spit on Smiley but said he did not have a weapon and did not threaten Smiley. According to court documents, the sister said Smiley “came back to her apartment with a firearm and opened the front door and fired one shot at the victim.”

Smiley told police that, after the shooting, she placed the gun in a diaper box in her nearby apartment, according to court documents.

Smiley was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and was awaiting a preliminary hearing.