A man battling a “mental health crisis” shot and killed a police officer, wounded another and shot a third before being wounded in a shootout in a western Pennsylvania town on Monday, officials said. .
Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said at a news conference that two officers were dispatched shortly after noon to a domestic disturbance call in McKeesport, about 12 miles south of Pittsburgh.
Officers tried to talk to the man but he left the house, and officers were warned by a family member that he might be armed, Cairns said. Officers encountered him nearby and he “suddenly produced a handgun and shot two McKeesport officers,” Cairns said.
One officer was taken to a hospital in McKeesport, where he was pronounced dead. A statement from McKeesport Police Chief Adam Alfer identified him as Sean Slugansky, 32, who had worked full-time for the department for two years.
The other officer, 35-year-old Charles Thomas Jr., was taken to a Pittsburgh-area trauma center. Thomas, who has been on the force for four years, was discharged Monday night and is back home with family, Alfer reported.
Kearns said the suspect was shot when he was walking around a corner and fired at a third officer, who returned fire.
The suspect was later listed in stable condition at a Pittsburgh-area trauma center.
The McKeesport Area School District said all schools and buildings were temporarily placed on outdoor lockdown due to police activity nearby.
Police said charges are being prepared against the suspect, who is known to McKeesport police. “They’ve dealt with him on previous occasions,” Kearns said.
The mayor’s office asked people to keep the department in their thoughts and to respect the families’ privacy “during this sad and painful time.”
The president of the Fraternal Order of Police state lodge, Joseph Regan, said the officers left their homes “knowing it was their duty to protect and serve McKeesport regardless of the consequences.
“Today, they made the sacrifice we hope and pray they will never need to make again. They are heroes,” Regan said.
About a month ago, a police chief was killed and two officers were injured in Allegheny County, northeast of Pittsburgh. Authorities said the suspect was later shot and killed in Pittsburgh after colliding with a car and a shootout with police.