1 person taken to hospital in New Kensington shooting; 17-year-old in custody

An argument outside the Valley Royal Court apartment complex in New Kensington turned into gunfire, with one person taken to the hospital and a 17-year-old in custody, according to authorities.

The shooting occurred about 12:35 p.m. outside of the apartment complex, which is near the New Kensington City Hall and district judge’s office downtown. Police had portions of that area cordoned off.

Police charged Logan James King with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and attempts to cause bodily injury with a weapon.

Greensburg District Judge Chris Flanigan denied bail Monday, stating that no conditions or combination of conditions could reasonably assure safety to the community, according to online court records. King is being held in the Lawrence County Jail, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 18 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.

One person was shot and taken by a personal vehicle to a hospital. The person was then flown to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, according to Melanie Jones, spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.

“There had been an argument, and that argument turned into gunfire,” City Clerk John Zavadak said. “The shooter barricaded himself in the apartments of Valley Royal Court, and, at that time, it became a SWAT situation.”

New Kensington police wrote in a criminal complaint against King that, at around 12:30 p.m., they heard gunshots from the Valley Royal Court area.

Officers located the victim in the back of a car. The man was conscious and told police that “Logan” shot him, the complaint said.

The man was shot two times, police said, once in his upper left chest and the other to his right hip.

Witnesses told police that after the man was shot, King ran into an apartment at Valley Royal Court. Witnesses identified the firearm used as a black and silver handgun with an extended magazine, the complaint said.

A heavy police presence was seen, including SWAT teams, who established a perimeter around the apartment complex, where King surrendered without incident and was taken into custody.

“There was a pretty big police presence, and he did surrender, and he’s in police custody at this point,” Zavadak said.

Police searched the apartment King ran into and located the black and silver handgun, according to the complaint.

Jones could not give an update on the victim’s condition.

During a police interview, King said he was outside his apartment when a man approached him and began to push him, the complaint said. King said that as he stumbled backwards, he pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired multiple shots at the man, the complaint said.

King said he did not see a weapon in the man’s hands, according to the complaint.

The incident occurred across the street from the city’s Westmoreland County Community College campus. The college building was on lockdown for a short time, as were New Kensington-Arnold public schools.

County detectives and the New Kensington Police Department continue to investigate.

Michael “Prince” Shapiro, 31, of New Kensington said he was outside during the incident and witnessed the argument and shooting.

He said a teenager showed up Monday afternoon in the courtyard of Valley Royal Court yelling and carrying two guns.

When a neighbor went to confront the young man, Shapiro said, an argument escalated and the neighbor was shot in the chest.

“It happened so fast,” Shapiro said. “It was six, seven shots fired and the person ran. It was fast.”

The shooter, he said, ran into one of the Valley Royal apartment buildings and stayed until ultimately surrendering himself to police.

Shapiro said neighbors put the injured man in a car and took him to the hospital.

“Hopefully he made it,” Shapiro said.

He said, while the situation is tragic, it’s “just another day in the neighborhood.”

“It didn’t need to get taken that far,” he said. “All that needed to happen was a conversation.”

Shapiro said the community sticks together in times like this.

“We talk,” Shapiro said. “We communicate. We help each other out.”

Kellen Stepler and Haley Daugherty are TribLive staff writers. Kellen can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com. Haley can be reached at hdaugherty@triblive.com.