A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed by police in East Pittsburgh on Tuesday while fleeing a traffic stop that followed another shooting nearby, authorities said.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough told reporters the teen was shot three times while running from police. McDonough said police found two guns in the car, but noted that the teen was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
The victim has since been identified as Antwon Rose, 17, a student at nearby Woodland High School. The cop involved in the shooting remains unnamed, however, and has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Allegheny police said they first responded to calls of a shooting in North Braddock around 8:20 p.m. and found a 22-year-old victim who was treated at the hospital and ultimately released. Eyewitnesses said they saw a car leaving the area and gave a description to the police.
Not long after, an Allegheny officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of the car involved in the previous shooting, noting distinctive bullet holes in the back window.
“[The officer] stopped the vehicle and attempted to take the driver into custody,” McDonough said. “At that time, two other men in the vehicle exited and fled on foot. The East Pittsburgh police officer fired at the fleeing suspects. One of those individuals is a 17-year-old male. He was transported to McKeesport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.”
The other teen who fled police hasn’t been located, WPXI reported. Police are asking that person to turn themselves in “so that he can give a comprehensive description of what occurred.”
Both shootings are being investigated by the Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit.
