Hermitage officers had warned the public that the wanted woman could be armed.
HERMITAGE, Pa. — A police search that began after a fatal shooting outside a Mercer County Lowe’s ended when Taneesha Lynn Teague surrendered to Hermitage authorities, officials said.
Teague, 32, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Salim Basalat, who was shot in the parking lot of the Lowe’s on Glimcher Boulevard and later died at a hospital. The search for Teague became the first public phase of the case, with police circulating a vehicle description, warning that she may be armed and asking residents to report sightings. The surrender moved the case from an urgent manhunt into the court system.
Police were called to the Lowe’s parking lot after reports of gunfire near the home improvement store. When officers arrived, they found Basalat wounded. Witnesses and early investigative work pointed to Teague, according to local reports on the complaint. Authorities said she had driven a white Nissan work van, and police shared its Pennsylvania license plate, ZYB-3944, while looking for her. The vehicle was found near a KFC restaurant not far from the store, but Teague was not with it. That discovery gave police a key piece of the timeline while leaving the main suspect unaccounted for.
The alert from Hermitage police described Teague as wanted in the shooting and said she should be considered armed and dangerous. Officers asked anyone who saw her or the van to call 911 rather than approach. The warning reflected the uncertainty in the hours after the shooting: a victim had been taken to a hospital, a suspect had left the scene, and police were still trying to determine where she had gone. By just before 1 p.m. May 26, Teague had turned herself in at the Hermitage Police Department. Police then said the charge had been amended to first-degree murder.
Investigators say the shooting was not random. According to reports citing the criminal complaint, Teague had followed her former girlfriend and the woman’s young daughter to the Lowe’s parking lot. The former girlfriend was there to meet Basalat, who was standing outside his vehicle and talking with them when Teague arrived. The complaint said Teague was deeply upset by the meeting. Police said she got out of her vehicle with a loaded handgun, approached the group and fired several times. A woman’s voice could be heard during a 911 call warning someone to move away or “she would die too,” dispatchers reported.
Basalat was struck in the arm and abdomen. He was taken for medical treatment and was pronounced dead around 10 a.m. May 26. The death led prosecutors and police to upgrade the case from an attempted homicide matter to a murder case. Teague now faces first-degree murder, criminal homicide, aggravated assault and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. Reports differ on whether the child present was 8 or 9 years old, and officials have not publicly explained that difference. The available record also does not clearly say whether the child or her mother sustained physical injuries.
The search itself is likely to matter in the prosecution. Police will be expected to describe how they identified Teague, why they connected her to the van, where the van was found and what evidence was collected from it or nearby. If officers recovered shell casings, surveillance footage, phone data or statements, those materials could be raised at a preliminary hearing. The complaint’s account of the 911 call and witness identifications gives prosecutors a starting point, but the public reports do not include every investigative step. Unknowns include whether police recovered the firearm and whether Teague spoke with detectives after surrendering.
The location also shaped the police response. The Lowe’s sits along Glimcher Boulevard in a commercial part of Hermitage, where parking lots, restaurants and stores sit close together. That layout can create more witnesses and cameras, but it also raises the risk that gunfire could endanger bystanders. Police said the vehicle tied to Teague was found at a nearby restaurant lot, showing how quickly the investigation spread beyond the original scene. Officers had to protect the crime scene, locate the suspect and tell the public what to look for without releasing details that could hurt the case.
Teague and the woman she allegedly followed had recently ended a relationship but still lived together, according to reports on the court filing. That detail gives investigators a possible motive, though motive is not the same as proof of guilt. The complaint says the woman had gone to meet Basalat, who was described in reports as her new partner. Police have not said whether prior calls, protective orders or earlier threats existed between any of the people involved. If such records exist, they could become relevant in court. If they do not, prosecutors may rely heavily on the events captured at the Lowe’s lot.
Currently, the next phase belongs to Mercer County prosecutors, defense counsel and the court. Teague’s preliminary arraignment was scheduled for May 27, with further hearings expected to test the evidence. The public search is over, but the homicide case remains open as investigators finish reports and prepare for court.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.