At Least 75 Cops Open Fire During Shootout in Pittsburgh

At least 75 police officers have been placed on leave following a shootout with a man in Pittsburgh who allegedly fired on officers serving an eviction notice. The man died of a gunshot wound Wednesday following a 6.5-hour standoff, but not before hundreds if not thousands of bullets were fired at the scene in the Garfield neighborhood, close to a daycare that had to be evacuated, per NBC News. An evacuated couple who live across the street from the residence said their home was riddled with bullets, per WPXI. “Police told us there were easily thousands of rounds fired in the neighborhood,” per WTAE. “He had a lot of ammunition in that house, and … all of us were strapped, you know, with ammunition, and we were calling for additional ammunition,” said Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus.

No officers were injured by gunfire, though a sergeant with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office “sustained a minor non-gunfire related injury while avoiding the incoming gunfire,” according to a rep. Pittsburgh Public Safety said 11 agencies were involved, including state police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, per WTAE. At least 75 officers from three local agencies are now on administrative leave for having fired their weapons: 47 Pittsburgh police officers, a dozen Allegheny County police officers, and 16 Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies, per the outlet. The deputies “will all go through a psych [evaluation] next week before being cleared to come back to work,” said Allegheny County Sheriff’s rep Mike Manko.

Pittsburgh Public Safety notified the public of the shootout around 11am Wednesday. A follow-up post described “an extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired.” Manko said the shootout began “when a detail from our office attempted to serve an eviction notice, which was followed by gunfire from the occupant of the residence.” Kraus said the suspect fired at officers from the first and second floors and through walls, per WTAE. Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said the man brought down three police drones. He added the “coordinated effort saved many lives.” It’s unclear if the suspect shot himself or was killed by police. He’s been named as William Hardison. WTAE reports he was inhabiting a home his father had recently sold. He was concerned about gentrification, per WPXI. (Read more Pittsburgh stories.)