The defendant, Denali S. Kirkland, was shot by police and arraigned via video while at UPMC Hamot. He faces 26 charges, including three counts of attempted murder, and was denied bail.
Police secure crime scene of car theft at corner of Fifth Street and State Street in Erie
Police secured the crime scene at the corner of Fifth and State streets where Erie police shot and killed a carjacking suspect just after 4 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2024, near the main stage of the CelebrateErie festival, which begins later that day, according to the city. Pennsylvania State Police are handling the investigation.
An 18-year-old Erie resident has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and 23 other felonies after stealing a car in downtown Erie early Friday morning. Authorities say he fled and fired shots at Erie police before officers shot and killed him.
The 18-year-old was injured in the shooting, which occurred near the main stage of the CelebrateErie festival, whose performances began at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. CelebrateErie went ahead as planned, the city said.
No officers were injured, the city said.
The defendant, Denali S. Kirkland, was arraigned on the 26 counts before Erie 3rd District Judge Alison Scarpitti around 6 p.m. Friday, who ordered him held without bail in the Erie County Prison, court records show.
Kirkland was taken to UPMC Hamot Hospital in stable condition after the shooting, police said. He will remain at the hospital until he is booked into jail.
Scarpitti accuses him via video. She sets a preliminary hearing for August 28.
According to police, the incident began with a car theft
The incident that ended in the shooting began at 4:08 a.m. Friday with a report of the carjacking of a 2006 Acura sedan at a gas station on the corner of Broad Street and Buffalo Road in Erie, according to the probable cause affidavit filed by Pennsylvania State Police along with the criminal complaint against Kirkland.
The carjacking victim said a masked man pointed a gun at him and ordered him to get out of the Acura, the affidavit states. Police said the Acura was heading west.
The investigation is being led by state police because Erie police were involved in the shooting.
Erie police spotted the westbound Acura at the corner of East 18th and Ash streets and pursued the car north on Ash Street. The pursuit ended when the Acura struck a tree on the sidewalk in the first block of East Fourth Street between French and State streets, the affidavit states.
The accident occurred east of the area where CelebrateErie’s main stage is set up on State Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets.
According to police, a shootout occurred as the suspect fled on foot
After the crash, Kirkland ran south down State Street, according to the affidavit. As Erie police officers ran after him, Kirkland “turned toward the officers, pulled out a firearm and opened fire” at the officers, who are not named in the affidavit.
The officers “returned fire,” the affidavit states. Kirkland was hit — the affidavit does not specify where — and fell to the ground. He was arrested and taken to UPMC Hamot, about a block away on State Street.
According to the affidavit, police near Kirkland found a handgun and several shell casings in the area.
Kirkland does not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon and is also “classified as a person who does not possess firearms,” the affidavit states.
Contact [email protected] or 814-870-1813. Follow him on X @ETNpalatella.
