Shooting suspect has criminal past
The 30-year-old man suspected of shooting up a Butler house last week was shot himself more than a decade ago while robbing a convenience store in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood.
Then 18 years old, Joshua McKenzie of Pittsburgh walked into the store Jan. 2, 2004, and demanded money from the owner. He had a gun.
Instead of turning over the cash, according to Allegheny County Court records, the owner turned the tables on McKenzie.
The storekeeper pulled out a .38-caliber handgun and fired several times, police said. McKenzie fled but not before he was hit by one of the shots.
Less than 20 minutes later, police got a call to McKenzie’s nearby home, where they reportedly found him with a gunshot wound to the chest.
He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian hospital and treated for his injury.
On Feb. 28, 2005, records showed, he pleaded guilty to robbery and carrying a gun without a concealed carry license.
McKenzie was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in state prison. It was not immediately known when he got out of prison.
In December 2014, Butler County Drug Task Force officers caught him with marijuana in Center Township.
Two months later, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was ordered to pay $683.50 in fines and court costs.
