Pittsburgh Faith Leaders Call For Answers In Shooting Death Of Peter Spencer
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Faith leaders are calling for answers in the death of a Jamaican immigrant who lived in Pittsburgh.
Peter Spencer was shot and killed while on a camping trip with co-workers in Venango County in December. Spencer's family said they've been given very little information since he was shot nine times on a camping trip.
They, along with the faith leaders, presented graphic photos of Spencer's bullet wounds on Wednesday, saying he was hunted down. He was the only Black person in a group of co-workers at a cabin in Rockland Township.
"Peter Bernardo Spencer made a mistake," Third Episcopal District of AME Church Bishop Errenous E. McCloud Jr. said. "And his mistake was going into some woods with people who he thought were his friends."
Since Spencer's death, his family has hired their own medical examiner. They said no matter how much they've tried, no answers have come from police about the investigation.
Now, faith leaders say they are joining the fight for information and an arrest in Spencer's death.
"Our voices will continue to stir and uncover and speak out until we learn what has happened to our brother," Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches Rev. Dr. Larry Picken said. "His blood keeps crying out to us."
KDKA reached out to the Venango County District Attorney's Office, which sent a statement, saying in part:
"This investigation would conclude in 4-6 weeks from the date of January 25. ... Public information must be tempered with the obligation of a complete and thorough investigation."
That time isn't good enough for supporters of the family who say six weeks without closure is causing their patience to run thin.
"No person coming to America, slave or free, deserves to be shot at like an animal," McCloud said.
Speakers said they won't stop until they get justice and Spencer can rest peacefully.
"This is not the end," McCloud said. "And we're going to keep pressing and keep walking around the mountain until justice is served on the persons who took the life of this young man."
State police are investigating.