This took place less then 2 miles from where I live. Its all over the news. My parents even saw this on the news tonight up in Connecticut. I hope they find who did this and take them out. I feel so bad for the officers family.
Trooper slain; 2 held after S. Side standoff
Monday, December 12, 2005
By Steve Levin, Jonathan D. Silver, Michael A. Fuoco and Torsten Ove
State, county and city police surrounded an apartment building on the South Side today and, after a long standoff, took two people into custody in connection with the fatal shooting of a state police corporal.
Cpl. Joseph Pokorny was shot while making a traffic stop shortly after 2 a.m. today in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America hotel near the Carnegie exit of the Parkway West, officials said. A Carnegie Borough officer on routine patrol discovered the body about 10 minutes later after spotting the empty patrol car.
An autopsy today determined Cpl. Pokorny died of a gunshot to the chest. Officials said he had been shot multiple times following what appeared to be a violent struggle.
Police were looking for a black 2001 Mercury sedan, while officers from several departments joined in a manhunt in a wooded area near the shooting, authorities said.
This morning, SWAT teams from several police agencies took up positions around an apartment building in the 2800 block of Sarah Street on the South Side. Several of the small, one-way streets in the area were blocked off.
Police first evacuated some of the units in the building before negotiating the surrender of an unnamed man and woman around 1:15 p.m.
Cpl. Pokorny, 45, was a 22-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, having graduated from the academy in November 1983. He was promoted to corporal in September 2000 and worked as a patrol unit supervisor for Troop B, Pittsburgh, working out of the barracks in Moon.
Cpl. Pokorny played football at Center Area High School with his brother, Frank, who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the mid-1980s as "Fearless Frank," a special teams player and wide receiver.
During his career, Cpl. Pokorny served at stations in Washington, Belle Vernon, Findlay and Newville. Friends said he worked undercover drug cases earlier in his career, when he wore his hair long and rode a motorcycle as part of his role. In his personal life, he was an outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Cpl. Pokorny, who was twice divorced, is the father of a son, Joseph, 17, and a daughter, Alexandra, 15.
In 1999, he was among 20 federal, state and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors chosen as recipients of Outstanding Performance in Law Enforcement awards by the Law Enforcement Agency Directors, or L.E.A.D, created to encourage cooperation among the 17 law enforcement agencies in Western Pennsylvania.
The last state trooper killed during a traffic stop was Joseph J. Sepp Jr., 34, of Windber, Somerset County, who died Nov. 10, 2002. Trooper Sepp died a day after he was shot in the head following what began as a suspected drunken-driving stop in Ebensburg.
Mark Leach, 48, of New Germany, Cambria County, was convicted of first-degree murder for shooting Sepp and is serving a life sentence.
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05346/621172.stm
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UPDATE - PA Trooper Kill - Arrest is made
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tomboudreau
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UPDATE - PA Trooper Kill - Arrest is made
Last edited by tomboudreau on Wed Dec 14, 2005 11:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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streetsoldier
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Wow...that is pretty crazy. We had a NC Highway Patrol Trooper get shot 4 times a couple of weeks ago on a "routine" traffic stop. Thankfully, he has since recovered. However, he was shot in almost the exact same location that a NC HP trooper and a Cumberland County Sheriff's Deputy were both gunned down in a traffic stop. The killers shot both cops with a rifle, and once the trooper was down one of them took the trooper's pistol and shot him at close range with it. They were sentenced to death, but last week they both had their sentences changed to life in prison because they were 'minors' at the time of the shooting... 
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tomboudreau
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Suspect has been caught...
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/5536861/detail.html
Pittsburgh Man To Be Charged In State Trooper's Killing
PITTSBURGH -- After questioning several people over the last 45 hours, investigators made an arrest late Wednesday night in the shooting death of state police Cpl. Joe Pokorny.
Leslie Mollett, 30, of the city's Knoxville section, will be arraigned on a charge of homicide early Thursday morning, state police said.
Though one other person was still being questioned Wednesday night at Allegheny County police headquarters, WTAE Channel 4's Shannon Perrine reports that investigators only suspect Mollett of being the one who pulled the trigger.
Police have not discussed a possible motive for the shooting. They will not say whether they have obtained a confession, but they do have physical evidence, according to Jim Morton, assistant superintendent of county police.
Pokorny was shot after pulling a car over near the Rosslyn Farms exit of the Parkway West (Interstate 279) early Monday morning.
Police said a "violent struggle" preceded the shooting.
Shortly after the trooper's death, Mollett was taken into custody and held on an unrelated parole violation. He was not named as a suspect until late Wednesday night.
The car that Pokorny pulled over was described as a black 2001 Mercury sedan with Pennsylvania license plate FXE-6527.
Police found it on 29th Street, not far from a Sarah Street apartment where Mollett's girlfriend, Charise Cheatom, lives.
Cheatom was arrested Monday and charged with hindering apprehension. Police allege that she was not verifying information for them.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/5536861/detail.html
Pittsburgh Man To Be Charged In State Trooper's Killing
PITTSBURGH -- After questioning several people over the last 45 hours, investigators made an arrest late Wednesday night in the shooting death of state police Cpl. Joe Pokorny.
Leslie Mollett, 30, of the city's Knoxville section, will be arraigned on a charge of homicide early Thursday morning, state police said.
Though one other person was still being questioned Wednesday night at Allegheny County police headquarters, WTAE Channel 4's Shannon Perrine reports that investigators only suspect Mollett of being the one who pulled the trigger.
Police have not discussed a possible motive for the shooting. They will not say whether they have obtained a confession, but they do have physical evidence, according to Jim Morton, assistant superintendent of county police.
Pokorny was shot after pulling a car over near the Rosslyn Farms exit of the Parkway West (Interstate 279) early Monday morning.
Police said a "violent struggle" preceded the shooting.
Shortly after the trooper's death, Mollett was taken into custody and held on an unrelated parole violation. He was not named as a suspect until late Wednesday night.
The car that Pokorny pulled over was described as a black 2001 Mercury sedan with Pennsylvania license plate FXE-6527.
Police found it on 29th Street, not far from a Sarah Street apartment where Mollett's girlfriend, Charise Cheatom, lives.
Cheatom was arrested Monday and charged with hindering apprehension. Police allege that she was not verifying information for them.
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Skywatch_NC
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nystate wrote:Wow...that is pretty crazy. We had a NC Highway Patrol Trooper get shot 4 times a couple of weeks ago on a "routine" traffic stop. Thankfully, he has since recovered. However, he was shot in almost the exact same location that a NC HP trooper and a Cumberland County Sheriff's Deputy were both gunned down in a traffic stop. The killers shot both cops with a rifle, and once the trooper was down one of them took the trooper's pistol and shot him at close range with it. They were sentenced to death, but last week they both had their sentences changed to life in prison because they were 'minors' at the time of the shooting...
Thanks in part to the blasted Supreme Court
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TexasStooge
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There was a similar situation in Tarrant County, TX a few weeks ago:
Suspect in shooting didn't realize targets were police
'All I see is a face and a weapon'
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
MANSFIELD, Texas – In his first public statements since his arrest, Stephen Lance Heard said he thought he was being robbed when he fired at Fort Worth police Officer Henry "Hank" Nava Jr.
Mr. Heard, 39, was tearful and apologetic throughout a 20-minute interview Thursday at the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center, where he was being held on $2 million bail.
Before Officer Nava died Thursday evening, the charges were attempted capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. Charges are expected to be upgraded.
Mr. Heard called the shooting a stupid mistake and said "there's no way" he would have fired on the officers if he had known who they were.
"When the door opens, all I see is a face and a weapon," Mr. Heard said about the Tuesday afternoon raid.
Fort Worth police said that officers identified themselves and that Mr. Heard fired first.
Officer Nava suffered a head wound and was hospitalized in critical condition. His condition worsened until he died Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Heard, insisting that he wanted to set the record straight, said he believed that people were trying to steal his identity-theft equipment and money when they came to the northwest Fort Worth mobile home where he was staying. When officers opened the door to the room where Mr. Heard was hiding, he said, he didn't hear them identify themselves or see the shirts or jackets with "Police" emblazoned on the front and back.
Mr. Heard also contended that police shot first, hitting him in the chin, and that he used his 9mm handgun only in self-defense.
After the shooting, Mr. Heard ran to another mobile home and held a 25-year-old woman hostage for three hours before he surrendered, police said. During the standoff, Mr. Heard said, he drank four beers to calm his nerves. He said he also had smoked marijuana and a small amount of methamphetamine earlier Tuesday. Family members said Mr. Heard has a long history of drug abuse and mental problems, possibly bipolar disorder.
Police have said that Officer Nava was shot while trying to gather information on Mr. Heard, who was suspected of participating in an identity-theft ring. A day earlier, was believed to have led Sansom Park police on a car chase after a dispute with a gas station attendant.
He also had an outstanding warrant for violating parole for a conviction on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and state parole officials had warned police agencies that Mr. Heard had a weapon.
Police said Mr. Heard had been a member of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, an assertion he denied.
Mr. Heard dismissed his past record as only nonviolent crimes, such as theft and drug use.
When confronted by law enforcement, he said, his instinct was to flee, citing past run-ins with police that involved "little old high-speed chases for Mickey Mouse stuff."
Mr. Hurt said that when he's been caught previously, has has never fought with or tried to injure police. He said his first question to the hostage negotiator after Tuesday's shooting was, "Who was hurt?"
Mr. Heard said his stepfather had been a police officer, which he said give him sympathy for the those in the profession.
Mr. Heard's mother, Deloris Pulce, said that her son shouldn't make excuses and that he has to face the consequences of his actions, whatever they might be.
Chad Clark said he believes his cousin's account of the shootout. He said that Mr. Heard would never fire at a police officer intentionally and that his drug use and association with criminals made him extremely paranoid.
Mr. Clark also said he was never sure that his cousin would completely turn his life around.
"I could only pray," he said.
Now, Mr. Clark said, it's too late.
Mr. Heard said Thursday that he had recently considered straightening out his life by turning himself in to authorities. He said the remainder of his sentence wouldn't be a big deal. "Anyone can do a year," he said.
But while considering a life free of crime, Mr. Heard was also starting a new career in identity theft and was studying computer programs used for that purpose, he said. He said he had stockpiled thousands of dollars worth of paper used to create fake checks.
Although he feared robbery by other criminals, Mr. Heard said: "I'm angry at myself that I even had a weapon in my hand."
When asked before Officer Nava's death whether he deserved the death penalty if the officer died, Mr. Heard didn't give a direct answer. But he said, "I couldn't live with myself if he died."
Killing a law enforcement officer is considered a capital crime, punishable by either life in prison or death.
Suspect in shooting didn't realize targets were police
'All I see is a face and a weapon'
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
MANSFIELD, Texas – In his first public statements since his arrest, Stephen Lance Heard said he thought he was being robbed when he fired at Fort Worth police Officer Henry "Hank" Nava Jr.
Mr. Heard, 39, was tearful and apologetic throughout a 20-minute interview Thursday at the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center, where he was being held on $2 million bail.
Before Officer Nava died Thursday evening, the charges were attempted capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. Charges are expected to be upgraded.
Mr. Heard called the shooting a stupid mistake and said "there's no way" he would have fired on the officers if he had known who they were.
"When the door opens, all I see is a face and a weapon," Mr. Heard said about the Tuesday afternoon raid.
Fort Worth police said that officers identified themselves and that Mr. Heard fired first.
Officer Nava suffered a head wound and was hospitalized in critical condition. His condition worsened until he died Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Heard, insisting that he wanted to set the record straight, said he believed that people were trying to steal his identity-theft equipment and money when they came to the northwest Fort Worth mobile home where he was staying. When officers opened the door to the room where Mr. Heard was hiding, he said, he didn't hear them identify themselves or see the shirts or jackets with "Police" emblazoned on the front and back.
Mr. Heard also contended that police shot first, hitting him in the chin, and that he used his 9mm handgun only in self-defense.
After the shooting, Mr. Heard ran to another mobile home and held a 25-year-old woman hostage for three hours before he surrendered, police said. During the standoff, Mr. Heard said, he drank four beers to calm his nerves. He said he also had smoked marijuana and a small amount of methamphetamine earlier Tuesday. Family members said Mr. Heard has a long history of drug abuse and mental problems, possibly bipolar disorder.
Police have said that Officer Nava was shot while trying to gather information on Mr. Heard, who was suspected of participating in an identity-theft ring. A day earlier, was believed to have led Sansom Park police on a car chase after a dispute with a gas station attendant.
He also had an outstanding warrant for violating parole for a conviction on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and state parole officials had warned police agencies that Mr. Heard had a weapon.
Police said Mr. Heard had been a member of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, an assertion he denied.
Mr. Heard dismissed his past record as only nonviolent crimes, such as theft and drug use.
When confronted by law enforcement, he said, his instinct was to flee, citing past run-ins with police that involved "little old high-speed chases for Mickey Mouse stuff."
Mr. Hurt said that when he's been caught previously, has has never fought with or tried to injure police. He said his first question to the hostage negotiator after Tuesday's shooting was, "Who was hurt?"
Mr. Heard said his stepfather had been a police officer, which he said give him sympathy for the those in the profession.
Mr. Heard's mother, Deloris Pulce, said that her son shouldn't make excuses and that he has to face the consequences of his actions, whatever they might be.
Chad Clark said he believes his cousin's account of the shootout. He said that Mr. Heard would never fire at a police officer intentionally and that his drug use and association with criminals made him extremely paranoid.
Mr. Clark also said he was never sure that his cousin would completely turn his life around.
"I could only pray," he said.
Now, Mr. Clark said, it's too late.
Mr. Heard said Thursday that he had recently considered straightening out his life by turning himself in to authorities. He said the remainder of his sentence wouldn't be a big deal. "Anyone can do a year," he said.
But while considering a life free of crime, Mr. Heard was also starting a new career in identity theft and was studying computer programs used for that purpose, he said. He said he had stockpiled thousands of dollars worth of paper used to create fake checks.
Although he feared robbery by other criminals, Mr. Heard said: "I'm angry at myself that I even had a weapon in my hand."
When asked before Officer Nava's death whether he deserved the death penalty if the officer died, Mr. Heard didn't give a direct answer. But he said, "I couldn't live with myself if he died."
Killing a law enforcement officer is considered a capital crime, punishable by either life in prison or death.
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Skywatch_NC
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