UNITED STATES NEWS

Gunfire in Pittsburgh neighborhood prompts standoff and evacuations; 1 person later pronounced dead

Aug 23, 2023, 11:00 AM | Updated: 4:48 pm

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man facing eviction opened fire at officers from inside a Pittsburgh home Wednesday, shooting down police drones and prompting evacuations in the neighborhood, in a gunbattle and siege that lasted much of the day and ended with authorities saying he was dead.

City emergency medical service responders pronounced the man dead shortly after 5 p.m. after the hourslong standoff in the city’s Garfield neighborhood, Pittsburgh Public Safety reported. Officials did not immediately identify the man or elaborate on the circumstances of his death.

Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said deputies went to the residence to serve the eviction warrant and tried to talk to the occupant, but when they finally made contact at the door, they abruptly came under fire.

“They began to take cover, return fire — engaged in a pretty significant gunbattle,” Kraus said.

One deputy was initially reported as having been shot but actually sustained only a superficial head injury “when he dove over a partition trying to take cover while he was taking fire and returning fire,” Kraus said.

The seven deputies were wearing body armor but “we certainly didn’t expect this,” the sheriff added.

“We certainly had no information whatsoever that this individual was this dangerous or that there were firearms in the house,” he said. He commended the response of law enforcement, saying, “nobody’s hurt, and everybody’s going home to their families, so we’re certainly thankful for that.”

City SWAT team members later arrived and took over.

Witnesses said they heard what sounded like hundreds of shots beginning at about 11 a.m., and more gunfire erupted hours later.

A large number of police and other first responders deployed to the scene, just a few blocks from a children’s hospital.

Police Chief Larry Scirotto said the joint response by personnel from SWAT, state and county law enforcement, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “saved many officers’ lives in a very tense and rapidly uncertain environment” and also protected the neighborhood.

The shooter was given “every opportunity” to surrender peacefully, he added, and that was why the situation “took the amount of time that it took.”

Drones were used to try to communicate and to scope out the home, but “every time we had deployed one of those, three or four instances, it was disabled by gunfire,” Scirotto said.

United States News

Associated Press

Norman Lear, producer of TV’s ‘All in the Family’ and influential liberal advocate, has died at 101

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “Maude,” propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of TV sitcoms, has died. He was 101. Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home […]

50 minutes ago

Associated Press

White House delays menthol cigarette ban, alarming anti-smoking advocates

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials will take more time to review a sweeping plan from U.S. health regulators to ban menthol cigarettes, an unexpected delay that anti-tobacco groups fear could scuttle the long-awaited rule. Administration officials indicated Wednesday the process will continue into next year, targeting March to implement the rule, according to an […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

New GOP-favored Georgia congressional map nears passage as the end looms for redistricting session

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia special session to redraw congressional and legislative voting district maps is likely to end Thursday after a House committee on Wednesday advanced a Republican-favored congressional map that targets Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s current district. However, the wrangling is unlikely to end there, with those who brought the challenges that […]

2 hours ago

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of ...

Associated Press

Biden’s campaign will not commit yet to participating in general election debates in 2024

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s campaign is not yet committing to general election debates next year, the latest sign that a staple of modern White House campaigns may not be in play in 2024. Quentin Fulks, Biden’s top deputy campaign manager, told reporters Wednesday that the president’s reelection campaign would “look at the […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Nevada grand jury indicts 6 fake Donald Trump electors

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford began investigating the fake electors last month. He said […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Juanita Castro, anti-communist sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul, dies in Miami at 90

MIAMI (AP) — Juanita Castro, the sister of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro who worked with the CIA against their communist government, has died in Miami at 90. Florida had been her home since shortly after fleeing the island nearly 60 years ago. Journalist María Antonieta Collins, who co-wrote Juanita Castro’s 2009 book, “Fidel […]

2 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @KTAR923...

Valley residents should be mindful of plumbing ahead of holidays

With Halloween in the rear-view and more holidays coming up, Day & Night recommends that Valley residents prepare accordingly.

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

Gunfire in Pittsburgh neighborhood prompts standoff and evacuations; 1 person later pronounced dead