Authorities say five guns were recovered from a man shot and killed by police after a chase and gunfire that killed Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire and wounded two other officers Monday.
McIntire and another officer were shot blocks apart in Brackenridge, an Allegheny County borough northeast of Pittsburgh, authorities said. The suspect was later shot and killed in Pittsburgh after he crashed a carjacked vehicle and exchanged gunfire with police, authorities said.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office will investigate the officer-involved shootings that resulted in the suspect's death. Kearns said the department will not comment on whether those shootings were justified while that investigation continues.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the governor-elect, said McIntire “ran towards danger to keep Pennsylvanians safe — and he made the ultimate sacrifice in service to community.” The second officer was in stable condition with a leg wound and a third officer was hit by suspected shrapnel.
Allegheny County police said Tuesday that a state police trooper had tried to stop Aaron Lamont Swan Jr., 28, of nearby Duquesne, on Route 22 for a traffic violation Sunday morning.
Kearns said the trooper "terminated the pursuit due to the speed and recklessness of the driver, as he did not wish to endanger the public."
Kearns said the trooper then identified Swan as the driver, found he had multiple probation violations and alerted officers in Harrison Township, where Swan was known to frequent.
Police said Harrison Township officers spotted Swan Monday and gave chase, and he fled again on foot. Police said he was spotted again about 3 p.m. on Monday and officers from a number of departments pursued him for several hours through various neighborhoods.
Another foot pursuit began in Brackenridge after McIntire spotted him at about 4:15 p.m. Officers from Tarentum, Fawn and Harrison responded to his call to assist.
Soon after, shots were fired in two locations that left McIntire dead and the Tarentum officer wounded in the leg. Police said Swan then walked into a home and demanded the inhabitant's car keys, fleeing in the vehicle.
After multiple police departments and a SWAT team responded for the suspect now considered armed and dangerous, the stolen vehicle was spotted in Pittsburgh's Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. After a short pursuit the car crashed in the city's Homewood-Brushton neighborhood and Swan again fled on foot into a wooded area.
While police set up a perimeter, Swan left the wooded area and ran into a housing development, firing at officers while fleeing, police said. Swan fired additional shots and police returned fire. Swan was declared dead at the scene. A Pittsburgh officer had a minor injury from what is believed to have been shrapnel, police said.
Five guns believed to have been used by Swan during the case were recovered, four in Brackenridge and one in Homewood-Brushton, police said. Allegheny County police will investigate the shooting of the suspect and turn their findings over to the county's district attorney, authorities said.
Police Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph said the department is also working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives to identify the weapons Swan possessed. At least one, Joseph added, appeared to be modified with a high-capacity magazine, making it function as though it were fully automatic.
"I don't know if they were all stolen firearms," Joseph said. "I know at least one of them was reported stolen, but it's still preliminary in the investigation."
Police have identified another individual seen with the suspect outside a convenience store in Harrison on Monday, but that person has not been charged.
“(McIntire) loved his job, loved his community,” said Dave Miller, a firefighter and fire police captain with Pioneer Hose, told the Tribune-Review. “He was a hell of a guy.”
McIntire's wife, Ashley, expressed heartbreak at her family's loss. Describing him in a Facebook post as her best friend, she wrote that her entire world was gone “in the blink of an eye.”
“I am literally broken. I just want someone to tell me this nightmare is over ... ,” she said. “I can’t even put into words how great of a person my husband was. He was my person. I love you with all my heart. Until we meet again.”
