Police investigating the shooting of a pregnant woman on Neville Island earlier this month have identified a suspect.
Alisa Musser, 26, of Pittsburgh's Knoxville neighborhood, was shot in the torso by a stray bullet while riding on a motorcycle with her friend on Aug. 2. The two were at the Interstate 79 off-ramp on Neville Island when Musser felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.
Musser, who is four months pregnant, went to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, where the doctor told her that she had been hit with a bullet.
Investigators interviewed the president of a nearby Coraopolis sportsmen's club, which has a shooting range less than a mile from where Musser was hit.
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Martin Patterson, 47, of Ambridge.
For some reason, police said Patterson, who was shooting at the Coraopolis Sportsman's Club's shooting range, shot high and over the large back drop. The range is less than a mile from where Musser was shot.
Police said the round that struck Musser was a Russian Wolf .223, which according to ballistic tests, was similar in style to Patterson's rifle.
"He is 47 years old, an adult," said Trooper Robin Mungo of the Pennsylvania State Police. "He knows better. He knows what the rules and regulations are when he goes to a range. You go to a range to target practice."
Patterson is charged with aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Musser said she thinks the shooting was an accident. The doctor told her that her baby is OK. Had the bullet struck several inches closer to her stomach, however, it might have been a different story.
