Woman arrested in connection with deadly shooting of 18-year-old outside Pittsburgh bar

PITTSBURGH — A 40-year-old woman was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old North Hills High School graduate outside his mother’s bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

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Police said detectives from the Violent Crime Unit took Chayla Robinson into custody at her home in Brentwood Borough. She was charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution following the shooting death of 18-year-old Ahmir Tuli.

According to a criminal complaint, Robinson is the girlfriend of Howard Hawkins, who is charged with Tuli’s homicide but has not yet been found.

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Officials from the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies have been searching for Hawkins, who also goes by Mark McClendon, in connection with the deadly February shooting. Investigators said they were called shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 21 for a report of a man shot outside Preeti’s Pitt on Penn Avenue.

Tuli was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital that night.

According to court documents, Hawkins got into an argument inside the restaurant and security told him to leave. He came back a short time later and is accused of shooting Tuli in the head outside the front door.

Police said Robinson drove Hawkins away after the shooting.

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Security cameras showed Hawkins being kicked out of the restaurant and then captured him grabbing something from the front seat of Robinson’s SUV before he walked over to Tuli and shot him, the complaint said. Robinson’s SUV was seen moments later driving off in the same direction Hawkins ran and picking up a man, believed to be Hawkins, who was wearing dark clothing.

Investigators were able to get critical information from Robinson’s SUV by downloading its GPS locations, according to the complaint.

On the North Side, surveillance video showed Robinson and Hawkins together on Brighton Road. One street over, more video captured Hawkins going into a home and coming out in different clothes. Police said Robinson then took Hawkins to her home in Brentwood.

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