Allegheny County police say the case is tied to several violent incidents reported Thursday.
PENN HILLS, Pa. — A 45-year-old man has been charged with criminal homicide after police said a Penn Hills woman was stabbed Thursday night and later died at UPMC Mercy Hospital.
Allegheny County authorities identified the victim as 45-year-old Jinx Hairston. Police said George Mitchell Jr. is accused in her death and in a series of other violent incidents reported across several communities the same day. The case moved from a stabbing investigation into a broader criminal case after officers said Mitchell was found driving Hairston’s silver Nissan SUV.
Police were called to the 700 block of Penny Drive at about 9:39 p.m. for a reported stabbing. Hairston was taken to UPMC Mercy in a private vehicle and was later pronounced dead. Officials first said everyone believed to be involved was accounted for and that there was no threat to the public. “We believe everyone involved in the Penn Hills stabbing is accounted for and there’s no threat to the public at this time,” officials said.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators said the day’s events began around 3 p.m. in North Braddock, where a woman reported that a man matching Mitchell’s description held her at gunpoint before leaving in a black Cadillac. About an hour later, Penn Hills police were called to Dauntless Drive, where Mitchell allegedly tried to carjack an older couple with a knife. Police said a vehicle matching the Cadillac’s description later struck two people on Sampson Street.
Investigators said a man and a boy were taken to a hospital after the Sampson Street crash. The man suffered a broken collarbone, a pelvic fracture and other injuries, while the boy was treated for superficial injuries. Police said the Cadillac then hit two teenage girls on Doyle Street in Wilkinsburg. One of those victims remained hospitalized. Later, around 7 p.m., a door-to-door salesman on Penny Drive reported that Mitchell tried to stab him before driving away.
Police said Hairston was attacked at her home on Penny Drive. Investigators said Mitchell had previously lived with her. Shortly before 11 p.m., officers spotted Mitchell driving Hairston’s silver Nissan SUV on Penny Drive, according to the complaint. Police said he fled when officers tried to stop him. Officers later found the SUV again, pursued it and took Mitchell into custody after a crash on Frankstown Road in Penn Hills.
Mitchell faces charges including criminal homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Officials said he was denied bail and remained in the Allegheny County Jail. Police have not released a full motive, and the complaint does not explain what led to Hairston’s stabbing.
The investigation remains active as detectives review the timeline across North Braddock, Penn Hills and Wilkinsburg. Mitchell remained jailed Saturday, May 9, while court proceedings in the homicide case were pending.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.