Police hunt for suspect after deadly Wilkinsburg shooting, standoff

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WILKINSBURG, Pa. — The Wilkinsburg community is mourning the death of a young father gunned down outside of his mosque on Friday afternoon.

Police are looking for a man seen fleeing the scene where Dwayne Muhammad, 26, was found on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds, attacked while selling the Final Call newspaper.

Authorities tracked the suspected shooter to a vacant apartment building on Ross Avenue and surrounded it, but SWAT cleared that building around 6 p.m. and did not find anyone inside.

Police found Muhammad at the intersection of South Avenue and Coal Street around 1:45 p.m. after a 911 call, Allegheny County Police said. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died a short time later.

"This is definitely a terrible thing that happened. It’s definitely a tragedy in this community," said Brandon Thomas, who knew Muhammad.

He said the victim could often be found "smiling, laughing, sending just good vibes, positive vibes to the community."

The Muslim community is shocked and saddened, according to Victor Muhammad, student minister at Muhammad Mosque No. 22, who also released this statement:

"We do not wish for this shooting to go in vain, but we want an end to the violence that the young black youth are committing. As the family grieves, we will make arrangements and then we will come with an affirmative plan of action to unify our city."

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