Pa. State trooper with ties to Pittsburgh area recovering after shooting in Lancaster
LANCASTER, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Pennsylvania State Police trooper with local ties is recovering after being shot in the line of duty in Lancaster.
Corporal Joseph J. Pokorny, the son of fallen trooper Joseph R. Pokorny, was shot in the arm while serving a warrant Wednesday morning with the Pennsylvania State Police SERT unit.
He was brought back to be with family in the Pittsburgh area while he recovers, where troopers, officers, family and friends lined up, awaiting his arrival.
Pokorny graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy.
Alfredo Gonzalez, 40, is charged with attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer in the shooting.
Troopers tell KDKA-TV that Gonzalez had a stolen gun and is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of items from people in the Lancaster area.
Remembering Corporal Joseph R. Pokorny
The younger Pokorny was 17 years old when his father was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2005 along the Parkway West.
The deadly shooting happened following a short police pursuit. Leslie Mollett was convicted on first-degree murder following the killing and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
That section of highway was later dedicated in the fallen trooper's honor.
The younger Joseph followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a cadet at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, several years after his father's tragic death.