Pittsburgh area teen killed after running from car suspected in a shooting, police say
Hours after being sworn in on the local force Tuesday, a suburban Pittsburgh officer fatally shot a 17-year-old who ran when police stopped a vehicle suspected in a shooting, according to authorities and a local mayor.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office and a family attorney identified the victim as Antwon Rose II, of Rankin. Rose, who is African-American, died at a hospital. He had been a passenger in the car suspected of being involved in a shooting earlier Tuesday in a nearby community, Allegheny County Police said Wednesday.
Protesters on Wednesday converged on East Pittsburgh, the borough southeast of Pittsburgh where the shooting occurred.
Sometime before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, an unidentified person in a vehicle fired nine .40-caliber rounds at a 22-year-old in North Braddock borough, Allegheny County Police said. The victim, who returned fire, was struck and taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released.
Witnesses, including one who flagged down a police officer, described the vehicle in the shooting. Thirteen minutes later, an East Pittsburgh officer saw a vehicle they say matched the witnesses' description, a silver Chevy Cruze. The officer followed the car and stopped it around 8:40 p.m., according to authorities.
The officer ordered the driver out of the car and onto the ground, Allegheny County police said. Rose and an unidentified passenger "bolted" from the vehicle, and the East Pittsburgh officer fired at them, striking Rose, Allegheny County Police said.
Allegheny County Police Department
On June 19, 2018, at 8:27 p.m., County 9-1-1 received multiple calls reporting shots fired near the intersection of Jones and Baldridge Avenues in North Braddock Borough. Arriving officers found a 22-year-old man wounded by gunfire in the 800 block of Kirkpatrick; he was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for an abdominal wound and later released. Investigation revealed that the shooter fired nine .40 caliber rounds at the victim from a passing vehicle; the victim also returned fire at the vehicle.
Witnesses described the vehicle involved in the shooting, and the description was broadcast via police radio to responding officers and officers from surrounding municipalities. The vehicle description was updated by a witness who flagged down a police officer. An East Pittsburgh Police officer observed the suspect vehicle, a silver Chevy Cruze, travelling on North Avenue in East Pittsburgh. The officer followed the car onto Grandview Avenue and stopped the suspect vehicle at that location at 8:40 p.m. The driver of the vehicle was ordered out by the officer and directed to the ground. Two other occupants of the vehicle then bolted from the vehicle on foot. The East Pittsburgh officer fired his weapon, striking one of the fleeing suspects several times. The gunshot victim, a 17-year-old male, was transported to McKeesport hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 9:19 p.m. The occupant who was detained was later released. Two firearms were later recovered from the suspect vehicle. The third occupant who fled remains at large.
In accordance with police best practices in the aftermath of officer-involved shootings, Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) Homicide detectives were requested to assume the role of independent investigating agency. The East Pittsburgh officer has been placed on administrative leave. ACPD Homicide will work closely with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office as this investigation progresses, providing his staff with investigative findings for review.
Anyone with information related to this crime, or to the shooting in North Braddock that precipitated this event, is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit at 412-473-1300, or its Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS (1-833-255-8477). Callers can remain anonymous. The department can also be reached via its social media outlets.
A witness to the shooting captured it on video that was posted on Facebook.
In the video, one police SUV is seen stopped in the middle of the street as another police car pulls up behind it. Two people are seen running from the Chevy Cruze, and within seconds what appears to be three shots ring out. The two people appear to drop to the ground.
The woman who recorded the video is heard saying: "Why are they shooting at him?"
"All they did was run and they're shooting at them," the woman said.
The driver of the vehicle was later released, Allegheny County Police said. Authorities are still searching for the other passenger.
Rose was unarmed, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough told reporters. Two firearms were recovered from the floor of the vehicle, McDonough said.
McDonough said he was "very confident" the car the officer stopped was the one involved in the shooting, pointing to "ballistic damage to the rear window."
Based on witness statements, McDonough said, he believes Rose was given verbal commands, but he didn't know what the specific command was.
CONTINUED:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/us/east-pittsburgh-police-fatal-shooting-antwon-rose/index.html
Last edited: