Clairton football player arrested in deadly Baldwin shooting

BALDWIN, Pa. — A second person has been arrested for the deadly shooting in Baldwin on Aug. 15th.

Investigators arrested Bryson Koontz, 17, in connection with the death of Nathan Assad.

Koontz was the quarterback on the Clairton High School football team in 2016.

Police determined that Koontz was the driver of the suspect vehicle. Investigators said Koontz, and fellow suspect Nathan Lee, stole half an ounce of marijuana and gold chains from Assad during a suspected drug deal, before driving away.

According to the criminal complaint, Assad and a witness then chased Lee and Koontz in their car. "Koontz handed the gun back to Lee, and Lee hung out of the passenger side window and sat up on the door frame and fired three shots back towards the vehicle," the complaint read.

One of those shots hit Assad in the face, killing him.

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The Clairton City School District released the following statement:

"Due to confidentiality Clairton City School District does not comment about situations involving students. Clairton City School District is saddened by the recent events that took place in the neighboring community. We will keep all families involved in our thoughts and we will pray for the acts of violence to end."

He is being charged with criminal homicide and several other charges.

Both teenagers are being charged as adults and remain in the Allegheny County Jail.

"People aren't dealing with each other like people," said Josh Bernstein, Carlow University psychology professor. He believes the constant reliance on social media and a lack of direct human contact impacts teenagers' abilities to resolve conflict.

"I now have no real practice managing myself or resolving conflict, so there's this natural escalation to 100 miles per hour," Bernstein said.

Police made an arrest in the shooting death of a Pittsburgh teen in Baldwin Tuesday night.

Investigators arrested 16-year-old Nathan Lee in the shooting death of 17-year-old Nathan Assad.

Police said paramedics responded to the intersection of Horning Road and Curry Road after someone called 911.

When they arrived, investigators found Assad shot in the head.  He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Investigators said Assad agreed to meet Lee earlier in the night and sell him a half-ounce of marijuana for $140. A witness told police when the two met up, Assad accused Lee of robbing him.

The two teens chased each other in their cars, and Lee fired three shots out of the car window, hitting Assad in the head, police said.

Channel 11 spoke with a Baldwin High School student who knew both teens, and he said Lee lived with his grandparents.

Detectives said they interviewed Lee at that house, where he claimed Assad tried to rob him. In self-defense, Lee told detectives, he fired a gun at the car Assad took off in.

Lee is being charged as an adult and is currently in the Allegheny County Jail.

Cox Media Group