A jury found a man guilty of first-degree murder for killing an 18-year-old boy in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in 2021. 

Howard Hawkins was also found guilty of carrying a firearm without a license. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for the death of Ahmir Tuli. The North Hills High School alumnus was shot outside of his mother’s restaurant, Preeti’s Pitt, in the Strip District on Feb. 21, 2021.

“There was a sense of relief, obviously,” One of Tuli’s friends said on Monday. “There was a sense of hope, strength. A lot of us feel like it was a sigh, that we could finally breathe.”  

Monday’s verdict came down nearly five years after the teenager was gunned down. Investigators said Hawkins was kicked out of Preeti’s Pitt after arguing with another man. He was then escorted outside by a security guard. 

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office argued the evidence proves Hawkins did not drive away. Instead, he went to his car, retrieved a gun and tried to reenter the restaurant. That is when officials said he shot and killed Tuli outside. 

Jurors saw street camera video of the shooting and heard witness testimony. However, Hawkins’ defense attorney maintains his client’s innocence, questioning the credibility of some of the witnesses. 

“I am saying that is not my client,” defense attorney Casey White said. “It is a grainy street video. There is a compilation video that was played that kind of pieced together his movements allegedly that night. However, they focused on him, and there were many other patrons in the bar. There were many other people on Penn Avenue.”  

Tuli graduated from North Hills with honors in 2020 and was an avid sports enthusiast who loved the Penguins and the Steelers. After the guilty verdict in an Instagram post, his mother, Preeti Tuli, posted:

“I can’t even put into words how I feel but just know that I freaking love you and promise to get your headstone now that you had your day in court. It’s been a long time coming. Screaming long live Ahmir.”

“We would like Ahmir to be remembered for his smile, his laughter, his personality,” Tuli’s friend said. “He was one of a kind.”

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