Advertisement Teen witness in shooting that killed unborn child fatally shot in Duquesne Detectives say Leroy Powell, 15, was ambushed on Crawford Avenue Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 15-year-old boy who testified against his friend in the death of a pregnant teen's unborn child was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in Duquesne.VIDEO: Watch Sheldon Ingram's reportDetectives said the victim, identified by the medical examiner's office as Leroy Powell, was ambushed about 2 p.m. in the 1000 block of Crawford Avenue.Sky 4 flew over the neighborhood, where police were blocking part of the road and a pool of blood could be seen in the street. Powell, of Duquesne, was pronounced dead at an area hospital. An autopsy is planned for Thursday.Police have not yet released a description of any suspects.One week ago, Powell testified that he and Eric Taylor were together moments before DaRae Delgado was shot four times -- three in the stomach -- at her home, on Friendship Street in Duquesne, in the early morning of May 26.Delgado, 15, was seven months pregnant and had planned to name her son Darren, but he did not survive.In video testimony, the witness said he saw Taylor walk up to Delgado’s house and onto the porch before he heard three to four shots and saw Taylor run away with a gun in his right hand."It's hard to get people to come forward because they're afraid of retaliation," said Center for Victims CEO Laurie MacDonald, who did not know if Powell was in witness protection. "It appears (that's what happened) and it's unfortunate because it sends a bad message."Center for Victims offers support and guidance to victims and witnesses to violent crimes. The agency supports about 15,000 people each year, making it the largest victim's support group in the state."We can only advocate for them to be in witness protection if they want to or to not be in witness protection, if they don't want to be. Ultimately it's up to the detectives on the case to decide if they go into witness protection, said MacDonald.Mike Manko, spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, issued this statement:"When crimes like that involving the death of this unborn child are alleged to have been committed by a person with known criminal associates, the protection of other potential victims and known witnesses is a top priority. Whether that protection is afforded through witness protection or otherwise is a decision made with the investigating police agency and the families of the affected persons. Given the ongoing investigation of the circumstances of this teenager’s death, further comment is not appropriate at this time."Taylor is charged with homicide of an unborn child, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.Breaking news: Get alerts from WTAE by phone or emailStay connected: Download the WTAE mobile app