The gunmen attacked the partygoers just before 11 PM, firing from two different locations in what police described as an ambush-style attack.
"It looks like right now they were all fleeing toward the backdoor of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard," said Lt. Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County homicide unit. "They all seemed to get caught on the back porch."
Four of the victims were found dead on the porch. Carl Morris and his son, Robert, were getting ready to leave their house across the street when they heard a volley of three shots, a pause, then gunfire lasting more than a minute. Robert Morris said he saw children run onto the small back porch and scream, "Mommy, Mommy."
"It was terrible," the younger Morris said.
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The Morrises said a woman in her 20s or 30s lived in the home with at least one daughter. They said the house was considered a "safe haven" in the neighborhood.
Bullet holes were visible today around the porch addition. Tables and chairs, some tipped over, remained in the backyard, signs of a party quickly abandoned.
The suspects fled on foot.
Wilkinsburg is a poorer, largely blighted suburb just east of Pittsburgh that is known for drug trafficking and gun violence. But neighbors described the street on which the shooting occurred as generally quiet.