Jalea Turner Obituary, Death;- Erie police have reported advancements in their investigation into the circumstances of a shooting that occurred on New Year’s Day, resulting in the death of a 20-year-old woman, as well as efforts to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the incident.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook has confirmed the identity of the victim from the January 1 shooting on West 19th Street as Jalea Turner, aged 20, from Erie. An autopsy conducted on Sunday revealed that she succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head, leading Cook to classify her death as a homicide.
Additionally, a 22-year-old man, whose identity has not been disclosed, sustained injuries in the shooting. He was shot in the leg and subsequently treated and released from the hospital, as reported by Erie police.
The incident was reported at 12:37 a.m. on January 1 in the 900 block of West 19th Street. According to police accounts, both Turner and the 22-year-old man were believed to be departing from a house party when the shooting occurred.
Responding officers located Turner at the scene, and she was transported to UPMC Hamot, where she was pronounced dead later that day, as stated by Cook. The injured man was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle, according to police reports.
Deputy Chief Rick Lorah of the Erie police previously indicated that evidence had been collected from the scene, although he did not disclose specific details regarding the evidence. He mentioned that detectives are actively reviewing surveillance footage from nearby security cameras and are in the process of interviewing potential witnesses multiple times.
On Monday, Lorah noted that the investigation is “progressing rather quickly,” highlighting the significant amount of work accomplished by the detectives in a relatively short period.
