Man acquitted in Wilkinsburg backyard shooting to spend 8 years in prison on gun charges

PITTSBURGH — The man acquitted in the Wilkinsburg backyard shooting has been sentenced in federal court to spend eight years in prison on gun charges.

Cheron Shelton, 34, was sentenced following his conviction of possession of a gun and ammunition by a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty in December to the firearms charges.

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Investigators said Shelton had a stolen .22 caliber rifle and ammo that was taken from his mother’s Homewood home by homicide detectives in March 2016. The gun and ammo were recovered as part of the investigation into the murder of five people and an unborn baby at a backyard barbecue in Wilkinsburg earlier that month. Detectives and ATF agents said the gun had been reported stolen in June 2015 and forensic evidence showed his fingerprints on it. It was not used in the Wilkinsburg incident, however.

Shelton was acquitted in connection with that case last February. So far, no one has been found responsible for the murders.

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Cox Media Group