Gunman 'lying in wait' kills 3 Pittsburgh officers

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  • integrator97
    Senior Member
    • Sep 2006
    • 3011

    Gunman 'lying in wait' kills 3 Pittsburgh officers



    PITTSBURGH – A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and "lying in wait" opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday, killing three of them and turning a quiet Pittsburgh street into a battlefield, police said.

    Police Chief Nate Harper said the motive for the shooting isn't clear, but friends said the gunman recently had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.

    Richard Poplawski, 23, met officers at the doorway and shot two of them in the head immediately, Harper said. An officer who tried to help the two also was killed.

    Poplawski, armed with an assault rifle and two other guns, then held police at bay for four hours as the fallen officers were left bleeding nearby, their colleagues unable to reach them, according to police and witnesses. More than 100 rounds were fired by the SWAT teams and Poplawski, Harper said. .................

    .............Poplawski had feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon," said Edward Perkovic, his best friend.

    Perkovic, 22, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you."................

    ............Obama has said he respects Americans' constitutional right to bear arms, but that he favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he would approve some curbs on assault and concealed weapons.


    The really stupid thing is, that it's nuts like this that help make the case for gun control.
    sigpic
    Rocket Science
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  • GunnyMack
    Member
    • Jan 2009
    • 99

    #2
    R.I.P. Brothers in Blue

    May God continue watching over you and your families.

    Semper Fi,

    GunnyMack
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    • Bill Warnock
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2005
      • 2467

      #3
      Forum members, correct me if I'm wrong; it was reported in all media reports, viz: radio, TV and Washington Post this young man had two felony convictions. If that be the case, how did he acquire these weapons?
      What irritates more than anything is the prosecution or judiciary dropping charges of a felon with a firearm. The most common explanation is we do not want to be seen "piling on" charges.
      I just don't fathom how this serves justice and those aggrieved.
      Enjoy the day,
      Bill

      Comment

      • GunnyMack
        Member
        • Jan 2009
        • 99

        #4
        Follow Up

        Latest update on the Homicides.

        Devotion to badge was slain officers' common thread
        Sunday, April 05, 2009
        By Jonathan D. Silver and Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
        Stephen J. MayhleOne was a 14-year veteran of the Pittsburgh police; the other two were relative newcomers, each with two years on the force.

        Two of them left behind wives and daughters; the other was engaged to be married.

        What the three officers who were slain yesterday in Stanton Heights shared, colleagues and friends said yesterday, was their devotion to police work.

        The fallen officers were identified yesterday as Eric Kelly, 41, a 14-year veteran; and Paul Sciullo III, 37, and Stephen J. Mayhle, 29, each with two years on the force.

        "They were like my kids," said Cmdr. Larry Ross of the city's Zone 5 police station, where all three officers worked.

        For three years in the 1990s, Detective Robert Pires patrolled the some of the city's toughest neighborhoods in the East End with Officer Kelly.

        "He always had your back," Detective Pires said. "If you were doing a call with Kelly you didn't have to worry. He knew what to do, what to say. With Kelly it came natural."

        Detective Pires said he was not surprised to learn that his former partner responded yesterday morning to a call for a domestic dispute even though he was off duty.

        Officer Kelly had just finished his 11 p.m.-7 a.m. shift. He was on his way to his Stanton Heights home before heading off to a 10 a.m. private security detail when he heard the call over his police radio.

        "Instead of making a right he made a left, and he drove back up," Detective Pires said. "Once he got there, it was an ambush. There was nothing anybody could have done."

        "He was done for the day and he was heading home in his personal vehicle. He heard the call and he stopped," said Sgt. Michael LaPorte, who worked alongside Officer Kelly in the East End.

        Detective Pires said Officer Kelly grew up in Garfield. He served in the Marines and entered the police academy in January 1995.

        Two years later, the officer known as "E" drew a plum assignment: working plainclothes in Zone 5. It was a perfect match.

        "He knew the streets because he grew up in the streets," Detective Pires said. "Eric was a guy who knew everybody. He got along with people, respected people. He knew how to talk to people."

        He recalled that he and Officer Kelly once encountered another officer running after a suspect in Homewood. Officer Kelly got out and gave chase. He passed his colleague and made the arrest.

        To this day, Detective Pires said, the other officer "said all he saw was a streak of wind going by him."

        Officer Kelly was injured in a car accident around 1999 and took time off to recuperate. When he returned, he received an Officer of the Month award in January 2001.

        For several years, Officer Kelly worked at Zone 3 on the South Side, walking a beat along the neighborhood's crowded strip of bars and restaurants. He made favorable impressions there, too.

        "He was very quiet, reserved, but he had a sly sense of humor," said Lt. Timothy O'Connor, Officer Kelly's supervisor there. "He was just a dependable guy out on the street."

        Detective Pires said Officer Kelly loved working the night shift. He also loved working in Zone 5, so much so that last year he requested a transfer back to the East End. It was granted, and Officer Kelly returned in January.

        "It's his community. He knew the people. He knew the area. He loved working with the people in that area, in that community. He always helped the people in that area. And he felt he was a better cop in that area," Detective Pires said.

        Officer Kelly is survived by his wife, Marena; daughters Tameka, 22, Autumn, 16, and Janelle, 11; his mother, Francis Kelly; and a sister, Danyelle.

        Officer Mayhle and his wife, Shandra, recently bought a home on Norwich Avenue in Brookline, where they moved with daughters Jennifer, 6, and Brooklynn, 3.

        "My husband is employed by the Pittsburgh City Police. He loves what he does!" Mrs. Mayhle wrote on her Internet blog, which was decorated with pictures of her daughters and husband.

        Before moving to Brookline, the couple resided in the Parklane Plaza high-rise apartment building on Bunkerhill Street in Highland Park.

        A doorman there, Steve Costanzo, recalled Officer Mayhle as "a very quiet man, with a very nice wife and two adorable little girls."

        Officer Mayhle typically worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift and often would arrive home saying "What a quiet night, what a quiet night," Mr. Costanzo recalled.

        "There's just no words," he said of learning about Officer Mayhle's death yesterday. "It's a shock."

        Officer Mayhle also is survived by his parents, Ronald and Marjorie; and brothers Jeffrey and Jamie, Pittsburgh police said.

        Officer Sciullo grew up in Bloomfield, attended the former St. Joseph School and excelled in hockey and golf at Central Catholic High School.

        Despite being relatively small, he stood out on the ice, making all-star teams in his junior and senior seasons and going on to play hockey at Duquesne University.

        "He was one of the tiniest kids we had as a freshman. But he had the ability to score," said Kevin Zielmanski, a teammate and close friend who went on to coach hockey at Central Catholic and, currently, at Bishop Canevin High School.

        He said Officer Sciullo also enjoyed golf and after college took a stab at playing professional golf. In 1993, while playing for Duquesne, he was medalist in a tournament hosted by St. Bonaventure University, shooting a 72.

        "He liked to play golf and be with friends. He was always joking and having fun. He was a good guy, just a guy from the neighborhood.

        "Obviously by choosing to be a police officer he was someone who wanted to help," Mr. Zielmanski said. "He told me he really enjoyed being an officer. He didn't want a desk job. He enjoyed being out in the patrol car."

        Officers Sciullo and Mayhle were "young, energetic," said Sgt. Eric Holmes, a supervisor at Zone 5.

        "They were always early, ready to start their shift," said Sgt. Holmes, who also taught both officers in an ethics class at the city's police academy. "They just loved being cops."

        Staff writer Jerome L. Sherman contributed to this report. Jonathan D. Silver can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1962. Jon Schmitz can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1868.
        First published on April 5, 2009 at 12:00 am


        Rest in Peace Brothers...


        Semper Fi,

        GunnyMack
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        • integrator97
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2006
          • 3011

          #5
          Originally posted by Bill Warnock
          Forum members, correct me if I'm wrong; it was reported in all media reports, viz: radio, TV and Washington Post this young man had two felony convictions. If that be the case, how did he acquire these weapons?
          What irritates more than anything is the prosecution or judiciary dropping charges of a felon with a firearm. The most common explanation is we do not want to be seen "piling on" charges.
          I just don't fathom how this serves justice and those aggrieved.
          Enjoy the day,
          Bill
          I didn't see that in the article I read, Bill. But if that's true, it's even more nuts. Worrying about losing rights he didn't even have.

          And 3 human beings lost their life to this nut, children left without fathers, wives without husbands, parents without a child.
          sigpic
          Rocket Science
          Making everything else look simple, since 1958.


          http://my.opera.com/integrator/blog/
          One Man's Opinion

          The Future. It isn't what it used to be.

          Comment

          • SoCal Public Safety
            Member
            • Aug 2008
            • 465

            #6


            I just read this today and I'm shocked. Apparently the suspects mother told the dispatcher her son had weapons. The dispatcher failed to inform the officers. Had they known, surely they would have approached the situation differently. I don't know if this was bad training, or the dispatcher just "forgot" to pass this on to the officers. Either way, this is a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided. My prayers and condolences to the families of these officers.
            "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" -Matthew 5:9

            Comment

            • Bill Warnock
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2005
              • 2467

              #7
              Originally posted by SoCal Public Safety
              http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...6_7cAD97DRUS00

              I just read this today and I'm shocked. Apparently the suspects mother told the dispatcher her son had weapons. The dispatcher failed to inform the officers. Had they known, surely they would have approached the situation differently. I don't know if this was bad training, or the dispatcher just "forgot" to pass this on to the officers. Either way, this is a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided. My prayers and condolences to the families of these officers.
              SoCal, at a press conference the director of communications services stated the operator typed in "No" instead of "Yes" in response to the mother's entreaty. She was removed from her position, will be undergoing further training and will not be assigned 911 duties ever again.
              I've stated in this forum before, that 911 police dispatchers should be police officers who do not easily shake and knows exactly what each officer and field supervisor is doing or will do in the event of changes in the incident.
              That dispatcher no doubt is going through an emotional hell.
              Enjoy the day,
              Bill

              Comment

              • LW04
                Junior Member
                • Apr 2009
                • 3

                #8
                FWIW,my security chief told me today he had heard/read that the gunman was a Neo Nazi, or affiliated with a Neo Nazi group.If that is true, it would explain some of things regarding the motive for firing on the police.

                Comment

                • officerchick
                  Member
                  • Oct 2007
                  • 799

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Bill Warnock
                  SoCal, at a press conference the director of communications services stated the operator typed in "No" instead of "Yes" in response to the mother's entreaty. She was removed from her position, will be undergoing further training and will not be assigned 911 duties ever again.
                  I've stated in this forum before, that 911 police dispatchers should be police officers who do not easily shake and knows exactly what each officer and field supervisor is doing or will do in the event of changes in the incident.
                  That dispatcher no doubt is going through an emotional hell.
                  Enjoy the day,
                  Bill
                  Wow. That is a terrible shame, whether by accident or poor training, but either way my heart truly goes out to her. She will live with the consequences of one small (in terms of time) mistake with horrifying and lasting consequences. The world really can turn on a dime.
                  That's a direct quote. Not word for word, but the gist of it.

                  Comment

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