Pittsburgh police have charged a 16-year-old student with shooting three others outside a school in retaliation for beating him in a drug-related robbery inside the school last month.

Anjohnito Willett Jr. awaited arraignment late Wednesday on four counts each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. He's also charged with illegally possessing a gun as a juvenile.

Police Lt. Kevin Kraus says school police investigated the Oct. 18 robbery but couldn't file charges because Willett wouldn't identify his attackers, telling police he wished to settle matters himself.

 

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"We have six people that we've taken to police headquarters -- people of interest -- that we'll be interviewing," Acting Police Chief Regina McDonald told WTAE TV. "We want to reassure the community that they have nothing to worry about. It's under control."

Pittsburgh school district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh earlier confirmed the students were shot outside Brashear High School on Wednesday afternoon. The victims are all age 16 or 17.

"He's stable. He's been shot in the neck," Terri Minor, who identified herself as the aunt of one victim, a basketball player, told WTAE.  "This is sad. This isn't right. My grandson goes to Brashear (but was not among the injured). This is crazy. To hit home like this, this isn't good."

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Ambulance at Pittsburgh high school shooting (Twitter)
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Pugh says their injuries appear to be non-life-threatening. Two were grazed in the head and one was shot in both the foot and arm. It's not clear who shot them.

Pugh says the victims were not on school property but close by. She says one victim was found inside the school but either ran inside or was taken there by emergency crews and wasn't shot inside school.

Brashear is a magnet school about two miles south of downtown. Police have closed roads nearby.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

 

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