An armed kidnapping in Plum and a shooting in Pittsburgh are believed to be connected, Pittsburgh Public Safety said on Wednesday night.
In a news release, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police was notified of a report of an armed kidnapping to the Plum Borough Police Department around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday. A family member told Plum police that his brother had been kidnapped by two armed suspects who were demanding ransom money, the spokesperson said.
The victim’s phone was tracked to Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood. Then, around 7:10 p.m., someone called 911 to report men fighting, followed by the sound of gunfire. At the scene, according to authorities, a man was found shot in the chest on Deely Street in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood. He was last listed in stable condition.
The victim told police that the suspects fled the area in a vehicle. No other information was immediately released about the two suspects, their vehicle or how the shooting victim is connected to the kidnapping. Authorities did not provide any further details on Wednesday night about the kidnapping or shooting.
“The investigation remains active and ongoing,” the Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson said.
The Allegheny County Police Department is taking over the investigation.