Police have charged a man with the City of Erie's first homicide of 2024 following an overnight shooting which killed a man and left a woman injured.

Melvin Burnett Jr., 34, of Detroit, Mich., was arraigned on charges including homicide, first-degree murder, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and several gun and drug-related charges. He was denied bail and taken to the Erie County Prison.

It started with calls for shots fired in the 700 block of W. 4th St., which is between Poplar and Liberty St., around 1:50 a.m.

Police, who were alerted by Shot Spotter and 911 calls, said they arrived about two minutes later to find a 35-year-old man dead with gunshot wounds to the torso and head. He has since been identified as Deonte Tate.

Neighbors said Tate was just trying to walk his aunt home from the bar.

A 31-year-old woman was also found with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and legs. She was taken to UPMC Hamot and in critical but stable condition at last word.

Investigators arrested Burnett within 10 minutes of the call, according to police.

Police have been reviewing video surveillance in the area as they investigate what led up to the shooting.

"I feel sorry for my neighbor who had nothing to do with this but had to see someone dying in front of him," said neighbor Jacob Rodriguez whose camera captured video of the incident. "That's traumatizing."

Neighbors told Erie News Now they heard fighting before the gunfire broke out.

Shot Spotter detected as many as 17 rounds were fired in the area, according to investigators. Police recovered a dozen 9mm spent shell casings, two projectiles, and a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol as they traced the path Burnett took as he tried to flee.

Investigators said Burnett had a large amount of suspected heroin in a clear plastic bag on him when he was arrested.

He is not permitted to possess a firearm or carry a concealed weapon in Pennsylvania due to his criminal history in Michigan.

Burnett's preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 16.