The Police Chief in the Pennsylvania town of Brackenridge was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect on Monday evening.
Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire was killed while chasing a suspect, Aaron Lamont Swan, 28, who was wanted on a probation violation that was related to weapons possession.
According to Christopher Kearns, the Allegheny County Police Superintendent, officers from the Pennsylvania State Police initially dealt with Swan on Sunday night during a traffic stop in Brackenridge but he fled.
On Monday afternoon at around 4:15 pm, Brackenridge police spotted the suspect and started chasing him on foot. Swan opened fire and shot Police Chief McIntire in the head and injured another police officer, Jordan Schrecengost with the Tarentum Police Department. McIntire died on the scene and Schrecengost was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital.
After the deadly shooting, Swan ran around the block trying to carjack vehicles, and he came across a man working on his work truck. Todd Pierce said he was lucky to be alive after his encounter with the suspect.
Pierce did not know that Swan had just murdered the police chief a few blocks away when the suspect approached him on the sidewalk near his home and demanded his vehicle keys. He said the suspect pulled a gun on him, but he immediately swung into action and disarmed him.
According to Pierce, when Swan threatened him with a gun, he grabbed the barrel and the butt of the gun and yanked it away from Swan. Moments later, officers approached his driveway, and a shootout followed between the officers and the suspect who pulled out a second gun.
Swan managed to escape from Pierce’s home during the shootout.
Police said that Swan walked into another home and demanded the car keys of a 2014 Subaru Legacy. Luckily, no one got hurt. Police responded to where he stole the Subaru on Pacific Avenue, searching for the suspect.
Police located Swan and the stolen Subaru in the Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood in Pittsburgh. They tried to stop the car, and a chase followed. Swan crashed the Subaru and ran into a wooded area. During the pursuit, Swan shot at police officers. Police shot the suspect, and he died at the scene.
One officer sustained minor injuries from shrapnel during the final shootout.
Police recovered five guns they believe Swan used during the incident.
Swan had numerous run-ins with the criminal justice system in the past. He had been arrested several times, had outstanding warrants, and had been charged with an unrelated homicide.
As news of the death of the Police Chief broke, people across Allegheny County and Brackenridge started pouring in their tributes.
Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Governor-Elect and Attorney General, tweeted that the Police Chief ran toward danger and sacrificed his life for the community’s safety.
People have been gathering outside the Brackenridge police station and leaving flowers and candles in honor of the slain Police Chief.