Feb 2, 2005 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

Uniontown City Police continued to investigate a Monday evening slaying, but had yet to take anyone into custody in connection with the East End homicide late Tuesday. According to the Fayette County Coroner’s office, 19-year-old Michael “Scooter” Jointer of Hunter’s Ridge died Monday evening when he was struck by a single bullet at the intersection of Coolspring and Dunlap streets.

Uniontown City Police Chief Kyle Sneddon said Fayette County 911 received a call reporting that shots had been fired and that one man was down.

When paramedics from Uniontown Fireman’s Ambulance arrived on the scene, Jointer was lying in the street, where they attempted to resuscitate him.

He was transported to Uniontown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by the emergency room physician at 7:31 p.m.

According to Fayette County Deputy Coroner Elsie Dvorchak, Jointer died from the injuries caused by the bullet and said the results of toxicology reports are pending.

An official close to the investigation said Jointer was shot in the head, but Dvorchak said she couldn’t confirm the location of the wound until further investigation was conducted.

Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht was scheduled to perform an autopsy Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Sneddon said that his department, which is heading the investigation, conducted interviews overnight and are aggressively pursuing all leads.

“We feel we are on the right track,” Sneddon said. “We have received a substantial amount of information, but we do not have anyone in custody at this point.”

Sneddon said police had yet to find the murder weapon, although the shell casing was retrieved at the scene.

Just after the shooting, the city police K-9 Unit brought in police dogs to scour the scene for evidence after the state police and city police cordoned off a half-block area along Coolspring and Dunlap streets.

Sneddon said the city police are working in conjunction with the state police, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office on the case.

The homicide took place less than 24 hours after gunshots ripped through two Hunter’s Ridge apartments.

While no one was injured in the shooting, police said they were investigating the gunfire in possible connection to the homicide.

At least two neighbors didn’t know what occurred Monday night until they saw police units on the scene.

Margaret Summa said she didn’t know anything happened until the flashing lights from a fleet of police cars and ambulances filled the street in front of her Coolspring home.

But, she and her husband, Thomas Summa, have seen a lot of crime in the 63 years they’ve lived on the street near the Dunlap Street intersection.

“We’ve seen a lot of it,” she said. “It’s sad for young people. There’s so much of that going on.”

Gang and drug activity in the area is not as bad now as it was before the county housing authority razed the old apartment complex on Coolspring Street a few years ago and replaced it with nicer townhouse-style units, but it still occurs, she said.