Gunman dead after active shooting situation in Pittsburgh neighborhood
A man facing eviction opened fire from inside a Pittsburgh home Wednesday morning, Aug. 23, and was pronounced dead after being shot about six hours later, ending a siege that lasted much of the day, authorities said.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said city emergency medical service responders pronounced the man dead shortly after 5 p.m. after the hours-long siege that forced evacuations from the city's Garfield neighborhood.
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were trying to serve an eviction notice when the man began firing shots. Witnesses said they heard what sounded like hundreds of shots beginning at about 11 a.m. Hours into the siege, more gunfire erupted.
Sources said the man was illegally occupying the home after it had recently been purchased at a sheriff’s sale. Pittsburgh Public Safety, a grouping of law enforcement and other emergency responders in the city, did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the death of the gunman.
The incident occurred not far from UPMC Children’s Hospital, which is a half-mile from the shooting.
“We wanted to try and bring him out peacefully, you know, to execute the order,” Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said during a news conference. “But clearly that wasn't in the cards today.”
During a news conference, authorities did not publicly identify the suspect.
Residents were warned at 11:01 a.m. to avoid the 4800 block of Broad and North Mathilda streets in the Garfield neighborhood due to the situation, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.
A sergeant leading the eviction notice detail suffered an injury unrelated to gunfire and is doing OK, sheriff's office spokesman Mike Manko said. According to Kraus, the injury was suffered when the sergeant dove over a partition while avoiding gunfire.
A state police spokesperson said drones were used during the siege, and a large number of police and other first responders were at the scene.
Shots were still being fired at 11:23 a.m., according to a later post by Pittsburgh Public Safety.
Just after noon, officers said they would evacuate homes in the 4800 block of Broad Street. Anyone in the neighborhood who was inside their home was instructed to dial 911 and identify their location.
State police in Troop B are expected to take control of the investigation.
Kraus commended the work of all agencies involved in bringing the situation under control.
“I thought everybody came together. They knew their roles, they knew their assignments. Communication was good, and we were able to stabilize the situation,” Kraus said. “Unfortunately, it resulted in a death, but I just want to commend .. my deputies and all the law enforcement officers that responded. I mean, they did one heck of a job, and nobody's hurt, and everybody's going home to their family. So we're certainly thankful for that.”
"I ask for you to join us in prayer tonight for the entire community of Garfield, a peaceful neighborhood that was home to an unfortunate tragedy today,“ said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in a statement. ”I want to thank all of our federal, state and local law enforcement officials here today who worked to keep this neighborhood and our city safe, as well as to our trauma response team who has been on scene helping provide support to those who needed it.“
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
