Man found shot to death after state police pull over 14-year-old in Mercer County
FINDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A 71-year-old man was found shot to death in Ohio after police pulled over a 14-year-old boy they said was driving a stolen van in Mercer County.
Pennsylvania State Police said the trooper saw "numerous indicators of criminal activity" before and after stopping the teen on Interstate 80 in Findley Township last Saturday, suggesting the vehicle had been stolen. The trooper also said the boy had a handgun in the vehicle.
Police said attempts to contact the registered owner of the van, 71-year-old Larry Anderson living in Euclid, Ohio, were unsuccessful.
"The totality of the circumstances suggested a likelihood the juvenile may have used the gun to kill the registered owner and stole his vehicle," police wrote in a press release.
The trooper called law enforcement in Euclid and asked them to go to the man's house to check on his welfare. Police said when Euclid officers arrived at the 71-year-old's home, they found him shot to death.
The 14-year-old is currently being held at a detention facility while several agencies conduct a joint investigation. Police didn't release his identity, though he is from Columbus and believed to be a relative of the victim. It is not clear when he will return to Ohio to face charges.
In the meantime, his hearing in Pennsylvania is believed to be on Nov. 18, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.
The trooper who made the stop, Tpr. Gary Knott, told KDKA-TV in an exclusive interview that he is heartbroken for the family.
"My heart broke for the gentleman in Ohio, Mr. Larry Anderson and his family. And the family of this young man I had in my front seat," he said Thursday.
He credits his state police training and drug work.
Tpr. Knott is in state police's Drug Law Enforcement of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He's been a pa trooper for 21 years.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the result," Tpr. Knott said. "Thank God I was in the position to see what I saw then."
