Arnold man used stolen gun to fatally wound intruder, police say

A gun that was used to fatally wound a man Friday night in Arnold had been stolen from Tarentum, according to court paperwork.

Malique Jamal Black, 25, told a Westmoreland County detective that he bought on the gun on the street. Police say it was the gun used to shoot Allen L. Austin Jr., 29, after Austin broke into his home in the 1600 block of Fourth Avenue, police said in a criminal complaint.

Police found the .45-caliber Glock handgun along with an unspecified number of empty shell casings, according to the complaint. Black is not allowed to possess a gun because he is a convicted felon, police said.

Police said they traced the gun using its serial number.

Investigators also found a large amount of marijuana and marijuana joints in clear gallon-sized plastic bags and a digital scale used for weighing drugs in Black’s home, the complaint said.

Arnold police went to the area of 17th Street and Cherry Alley shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, where they found Austin dead. An investigation led police to Black’s residence, police said.

Police said Black and a few others were at his residence. According to the complaint, Black walked investigators into the kitchen, where they saw a window had been broken from the outside. Police said Black then made a statement that he “shot the guy in the stairwell.”

During questioning at the Arnold police station, Black told a county detective that he and friends were upstairs playing video games when they heard glass breaking, police said. Black grabbed the gun and went to the stairs, the complaint states.

Black said he saw a man he did not know starting up the stairs, according to the complaint. Black said he shot at the man and retreated back toward his bedroom, firing more shots because he heard footsteps and believed others were coming up the steps, the complaint states.

The complaint does not state that anyone else was with Austin.

Black and his friends went to the roof of the front porch until another person arrived to help secure the house, the complaint states. Black said he hid the gun, police said.

Investigators said Black’s friends gave similar statements about what had happened. Police did not specify how many people were interviewed.

Black is being held in the Westmoreland County jail on charges of prohibited possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property and drug offenses. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.