About 50 people were gathered at a West 19th Street residence in Erie for an invitation-only New Year’s Eve party when witnesses said a scuffle broke out between some of the attendees.
One of the people reportedly involved in what a witness termed an “east side versus west side beef” was a woman who then left the party and never returned, city police detectives said they learned from one person in attendance.
Witnesses then heard gunshots outside of the residence, and when one of them said he went outside, he found a woman lying on the ground, unresponsive.
More: Erie police: Two wounded, one critically, in shooting outside West 19th Street home
The woman, 20-year-old Erie resident Jalea Turner, was shot in the head and later died at UPMC Hamot, according to police and the Erie County Coroner’s Office. A man who was with her when the shots were fired went to the hospital by private vehicle for treatment of a gunshot wound to his leg, according to police.
Through interviews, video and other information, Erie police detectives said they have identified the suspected shooter.
Charges including criminal homicide, attempted homicide and aggravated assault were filed late Thursday against Shakeyah T. Barnes, 27, of Erie. She remained at large Friday.
Barnes is accused of firing at least three gunshots at Turner and the male victim outside of a residence in the 900 block of West 19th Street at about 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 1. Officers who responded to the shooting found three 9 mm shell casings near the entrance of the residence, according to information in Barnes’ criminal complaint.
More: Woman shot in Erie New Year’s Day dies, coroner says. Homicide ruled as probe ongoing
Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah on Friday credited the quick response of city police patrol officers in gathering information at the shooting scene, including speaking to witnesses on scene. That helped detectives work through “some roadblocks” they initially encountered in the homicide investigation, he said.
Some witnesses were less than cooperative “when this young lady lost her life,” Lorah said of Turner.
“The detectives were able to get past these roadblocks and bring justice to the family of the victim,” he said.
Erie police have charged a 27-year-old city woman in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Jalea Turner outside of a residence in the 900 block of West 19th Street on Jan. 1, 2025.
Confrontation at party
Police first talked to the owner of the building where the party occurred and to a person who was assisting the building’s owner at the party. According to information in the affidavit of probable cause filed with Barnes’ criminal complaint, the building’s owner said the party was going well until a group of people began to argue and fight, and he broke up the group. Some people then went outside, and the building’s owner said he heard gunshots, went outside and saw Turner on the ground, according to information in the affidavit.
A short time after detectives talked to the two men, one of them contacted the detectives and reported seeing a person by the name of “Red,” who police said was Barnes, arguing with a group that included the male who was shot in the leg. The witness also told police that multiple people told him Red was the shooter, and that she was involved “in the east side versus west side beef,” detectives wrote in the affidavit.
More: New Year’s Day shooting victim identified. Erie police say case moving ‘quickly’
Tracking a vehicle
As part of the shooting investigation, detectives said they located surveillance video that showed a black Chevrolet truck park in the 1000 block of West 19th Street and several people exit it and enter the party. A short time later, one person is seen returning to the truck, entering it, and then leaving and walking back to the party’s location, according to information in the affidavit.
The video then showed the person firing three shots near the front door of the residence before running back to the truck and driving off, detectives wrote.
Police later identified and located the truck and spoke to its owner. They learned from the owner that the truck was loaned to Barnes, and were told by the owner that when Barnes returned the truck on Jan. 1, she reportedly stated “she (expletive) up and wanted to turn herself in,” detectives wrote in the affidavit.
Investigators said they also learned from the truck’s owner that Barnes was at the party and some people from a rival gang were reportedly pushing her “and messing with her,” according to information in the affidavit.
They said they additionally learned from another witness that Barnes reportedly got into an argument with some males from “Pop block” who were at the party. That witness reported seeing Red leave the party and said shots were fired after Red left. The witness never saw Red or the black truck again, and stated Red was the driver of the truck, according to information in the affidavit.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie homicide: Woman charged in 20-year-old’s fatal shooting