Homepage > Pittsburgh News

Family, Friends Say Goodbye To Slain North Side Girl

POSTED: 8:38 am EST February 4, 2008
UPDATED: 3:10 pm EST February 5, 2008

Funeral services were held on Tuesday for a 12-year-old girl who was shot and killed on Pittsburgh's North Side last week.

Funeral services for Jolesa Barber were held at noon at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church on East Ohio Street. A vigil in her memory was held at 4 p.m. on Monday outside the home she was killed. About 30 people, including Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, came out for it.

About 40 rounds of gunfire from a high-powered weapon were unloaded on a house on Brightridge Street on Jan. 28, killing Jolesa and critically injuring her mother, Kim Wade, 42.

Police said Jolesa was standing in a hallway when a bullet hit her in the chest, police said. She was struck several more times before falling into the kitchen.

Wade was hit in the leg and was in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital, police said.

Two members of a Pittsburgh street gang were charged in the shooting. Police said they believe they were targeting somebody else at a house in the Perry South neighborhood, police said.

Michael Gist, 15, of Perry South, was arrested early Thursday morning at a South Greensburg motel.

Anthony Wilson, 30, also of Pittsburgh, was the first person arrested in the case. Police picked him up on Wednesday morning.

According to police, both shooting suspects are members of the North Charles Street Crips, a loosely affiliated group whose members range in age from 13 to 30.

Police first believed the child's 22-year-old sister, who lives at the house, was the intended victim. But now, they say it may have been a male who was also in the house.

Wilson and Gist are charged with homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy and a weapons offense, police said. Gist was charged as an adult, police said.

Funeral services were also held Tuesday for Ernest Tolliver, a 15-year-old who was gunned down in an sport utility vehicle outside of a KFC in Homewood on Jan. 29.


Related Links:
More Allegheny County News

Get RSS Headlines | Free Desktop Alert


Links We Like
You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More

If you're looking to save on your next new vehicle, a low sticker price is just one aspect. Consider all the costs and make the right decision. More

Sponsored Links