By Isabel Keane

Copyright independent

An argument between two customers inside a Pittsburgh barbershop turned deadly when one woman pulled out a gun from underneath her salon cape and shot the other.

Myairah Carter, 25, of Baldwin, a Pittsburgh suburb, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide in connection with the shooting in the city’s South Side Flats neighborhood Saturday afternoon, WTAE reported.

Police were called to the barbershop, located on East Carson Street, when gunshots rang out, killing 26-year-old Rayon Williams.

The shop’s owner, Ramone Pierce, said he believed the two women knew each other.

Carter also told police she and the victim had an “ongoing dispute” dating back to 2023, according to court documents obtained by WPXI.

“I’m just heartbroken somebody lost their life in my business,” he told WPXI. “I seen it happen. I don’t know how to get over that.”

Moments before the shooting, the victim stood over Carter, who was sitting down, and the two were arguing. Court documents revealed that Carter told police the victim was trying to get her to go outside and fight.

As tensions escalated, a 19-year-old employee at the barbershop tried to step in and stop the fight. However, seconds later, Carter pulled out a gun from under her barber’s cape and shot the other woman, according to Pierce.

“Everybody ran to the back,” he recalled. “I was pushed over in the corner a little bit, looking around. I seen the lady yielding the firearm. I asked to please just go. She still had the cape around her neck.”

Police performed CPR on the victim before she was taken to a hospital, where she died.

Curry Brown, who owns Smoke Goodies just across the street, said he heard the gunshots and immediately saw police rushing into the barbershop.

“Sitting here playing chess and we all froze, not quite sure what’s going on,” Brown said. “The guy that was in front of me said, ‘Oh, look, there’s police running inside the barbershop.’”

The barbershop owner says he closed up shop for the rest of the weekend as he and his staff process what happened.

“This isn’t what I wanted this place to be,” he told WTAE. “This isn’t what this place is. We are a community. This is a place where I want people to feel safe, protected, come vent, laugh, and watch sports. Feel good when you leave.”

Carter is being held in the Allegheny County Jail while awaiting a preliminary hearing.