A 15-year-old was arrested October 9 in connection with his participation in a western Pennsylvania amusement park shooting that injured three people last month.
Allegheny County and the West Mifflin Police Department released a statement saying that the 15-year-old, Darryl Pirl, faces charges of aggravated assault, firearms crimes, and reckless endangering, and will be charged as an adult.
The unfortunate shooting incident happened on September 24, 2022, at Kennywood Park, during the park’s opening night for its Phantom Fall Festival.
According to park officials, the shooting happened after an argument broke out between several teenagers near the park’s Musik Express ride. A 39-year-old man and two 15-year-old teenagers were caught in the crossfire and suffered leg wounds.
Last week, authorities said that the evidence the police had recovered at the crime scene showed that the culprits fired two guns that day. One of them was fired by the arrested teenager, who was also hurt on his thigh by a bullet. The second suspect, who authorities think might also be a teen, has not been caught.
Immediately after the shooting, Kennywood closed the park for the day and announced they would improve security, with more police on site and at the fences surrounding the park. They also changed rules about items brought into the park, limiting bag sizes and mask sizes, and require all teens to be accompanied by an adult at all times at the festival, which is supposed to go on until mid-October.
At the time of the shooting, the park was filled with people having a good time and excited about the first night of the park’s fall festival. The festival happens every Saturday before Halloween, and the park is kept open until 11 p.m.
After the shooting, people panicked, and ran in all directions looking for suitable hiding places. One of the park’s employees said he did not realize it was gunshots he had heard until people started running away panicking.
All attendees left the park at around midnight, and the park released a statement saying they were aware of the shooting incident and cooperating with the police. The park spokesperson also added that their priority was the safety of everyone in the park and that local law enforcement was already at the crime scene.
Christopher Kearns, Allegheny County Police Superintendent, said that authorities were unsure how the weapons got inside the park and thought that the teenagers had perhaps thrown the guns over the fence or someone had jumped the fence with the weapons.
Trees along the fence are being cut down to improve visibility, and the park will also install floodlights and cameras near the fences.
The police believe a feud stemming from two rival groups of teenagers has led to numerous shootings in nearby communities.
