Chief Justin McIntire and Officer Sean Sluganski's names added to walls of National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KDKA) -- The names of two fallen police officers from the Pittsburgh area were added to the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. last night.
The names of Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire and McKeesport Police Officer Sean Sluganski were among six fallen officers from Pennsylvania who were named during the ceremony.
282 fallen officers in all were honored during the 36th annual candlelight vigil on Monday.
The candlelight vigil is part of National Police Week, which is observed every May.
Both officers were shot and killed in the line of duty early last year.
Remembering Chief Justin McIntire
The small and quiet community of Brackenridge became a massive crime scene just one day after the calendar turned to 2023 as the borough's police chief was ambushed, shot, and killed while pursuing a wanted suspect.
Justin McIntire was named Chief of the Brackenridge Police Department in 2018 and his watch came to an end that January afternoon when he was shot and killed during a shootout with Aaron Swan, who police had been searching for over a several day period. Tarentum Police officer Jordan Schrecengost was also wounded in the shooting.
Swan was eventually killed in Homewood after getting into another shootout with police.
Following in his father's footsteps, McIntire served his community for decades as a patrolman before being sworn in as chief. His father recalled driving his son around in his patrol car when he was little and allowing him to sound the siren and flash the lights.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers descended on New Kensington to mourn the fallen hero, with some coming from as far away as Texas and even from Canada.
Mount Saint Peter Church was filled to capacity and silent as clergy and fellow officers gave eulogies.
Remembering Officer Sean Sluganski
The close-knit McKeesport community became the second Allegheny County area to suffer a loss of one of their own first responders last year when Officer Sean Sluganski was shot and killed in the line of duty.
The officers were responding to a domestic call on Wilson Street when they encountered the suspect on Grandview Avenue. Allegheny County Police said the suspect, Johnathon Morris, pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
Officer Sluganski was killed in the shooting. Fellow officer Chuck Thomas was wounded, but survived. Sluganski had served on the force in McKeesport for two years after joining the department in 2020 and was promoted to full-time in 2021.
During a funeral mass following the deadly shooting, Sluganski was remembered with laughs, smiles, fond memories and tears -- but, most of all, he was remembered as a hero.
A procession from the funeral mass to the cemetery traveled through McKeesport with more than 100 cars from friends, family, and officers around the region as Sluganski's body made one final trip around the city he served.
On the sidewalks, some waved American flags. Others had signs offering thanks while many stood by in solemn reverence. It was a chance for the community to begin healing.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Morris in the charges related to Sluganski's killing.