Police justified in shooting Pittsburgh-area man 18 times while he suffered mental health crisis, DA says
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — No police officers will be charged in the January shooting death of an Upper St. Clair man who suffered from severe mental illness.
That's the decision of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala after an 11-month investigation.
Zappala explains reasons for no charges in police shooting
On Jan. 7, for the third time in as many months, the Upper St. Clair Police Department descended on the home of 48-year-old Christopher Shepherd, a man described as suffering from severe schizophrenia. Officials said he was hurling threats and conspiracies and barricaded himself inside.
Six hours later, Shepherd emerged brandishing a kitchen knife and officers open fire. On Friday, after 11 months of investigating police use of lethal force, District Attorney Zappala said they were justified.
"Homicides are never closed files," Zappala said on Friday. "If circumstances come to my attention that I'm not aware of now, that could change things. But right now, I don't see a crime."
Shepherd's family disagrees.
"I don't think that my brother, who was the kindest, most gentle man I ever met in my life and was in the throes of a mental health crisis, was justified in being murdered that day," said Michelle Kippelen, the half-sister of Shepherd.
Early in the standoff, Upper St. Clair police, who had gone to the home close to a dozen times in the past few years, tried to enter when they saw the blade of a knife appear behind plywood.
"The significance is it's no longer a mental health matter," Zappala said. "It's now a police matter. He's expressed that he's a danger to other people."
That's when the South Hill SWAT team was called in. The team hurled flash bangs and pepper balls into the house to no avail. But then as a video shows, Shepherd ran from the house holding the knife high.
Zappala said a Bethel Park police officer released a police dog, which took Shepherd to the ground but failed to free the knife. Now in a sitting position, Zappala said Shepherd waved the knife in a threatening motion.
"The Bethel Park police officer moves back. And in a period of five seconds, there are 21 shots taken. Eighteen hit him," Zappala said.
"Were there non-lethal ways to subdue him at that point or was lethal force necessary?" KDKA-TV's Andy Sheehan asked.
"That's a close call," Zappala said. "Was lethal force necessary? I think at that point, he is now a danger and is approximate enough to a human being that I'm not going to second guess that."
"They decided to shoot 21 times at a man sitting on the ground, which I don't feel is necessary," Kippelen said. "I feel there could have been many non-lethal techniques to use in that circumstance."
