PITTSBURGH -- Three Pittsburgh police officers were killed and a fourth was injured in an unprecedented shooting Saturday morning in Stanton Heights, where authorities believe a man was "lying in wait" with high-powered weapons, ready to fire when the victims arrived at his home.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl identified the slain officers as Paul Sciullo, who was first to get shot, Steve Mayhle, who was backing him up, and Eric Kelly, who was on his way home but had stopped to help the others.
"Our hearts and our prayers go out to the officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice," said Police Chief Nate Harper, adding that the bureau has never lost as many officers in the line of duty at one time as happened Saturday.
The suspect -- identified as Richard "Pop" Andre Poplawski, 22 -- is charged with three counts of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, violation of uniform firearms act and other charges. Officers arrested him within the 11 a.m. hour after a SWAT truck arrived at his home to help the officers and was also fired upon, Harper said.
Harper said Poplawski was known to police, and officers had been called to the home two or three times previously.
"The negotiators were able to talk the actor out of the home. He was apprehended and he was taken into custody," Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard said.
According to Harper, the officers were responding to a call about a domestic dispute. They knocked on the door of Poplawski's home on Fairfield Street. When the oficers entered, Poplawski opened fire, Harper said
"It appears he was lying in wait for the officers," Harper said.
Two other officers -- identified as Timothy McManaway and Brian Jones -- were also injured. McManaway suffered a gunshot wound to the hand. Jones broke a leg jumping a fence as he tried to secure the back of the home, Harper said.
Harper said Poplawski was wearing a bulletproof vest, armed with an assault-style rifle, a pistol and a significant amount of ammunition, as he fired rounds out of his window toward police officers.
Officers returned fire and Harper said that Poplawski suffered gunshot wounds to the leg. WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo reported that Poplawski was taken to UPMC Presbyterian. Harper said he is currently listed in fair condition.
"It's a very solemn day. We consider all of our officers family members. We mourn as if we are the immediate family," Harper said.
Harper also praised the professionalism of those who eventually arrested Poplawski.
"We understand the officers showed a lot of restraint because when the suspect decided to give up the fight, he was taken into custody without any further injuries."
How Did This Start?
Police said four officers were called to 1016 Fairfield St. for a domestic call at about 7 a.m. Harper said the suspect's mother was in the basement of the home and is the one who initially called police.
Harper told reporters Kelly was the first officer into the home and the first one shot. He was followed by Mayhle and Sciullo, all of whom where fatally wounded.
SWAT members attending to the officers were also shot at, making rescue difficult.
A neighbor said his family awoke to as many as 100 rounds were possibly fired at the scene, which remained active for hours throughout the morning.
"I saw officers running up the street in full riot gear with rifles drawn," WTAE Channel 4's Andrew Stockey said at the scene. "Then, to hear the gunshots -- and not just how loud they were but how many the were -- it went on for about 15 to 20 minutes."
Who Is Richard Poplawski?
Mayo reported that Poplawski was calling friends and family between his volleys of gunfire.
"He just told my nephew, Billy, that he was shot twice. One in the arm, once in the leg. He just told him to tell everybody that I love them because he didn't think that he was going to get out of there alive, said Marianne Klimczyk, Poplawski's aunt.
Those who know Poplawski, like Jeff Loffler, described him as a nice guy, saying this was unlike him.
"He was just an easy-going, fun-loving guy, telling jokes, everybody knew him. He was just the kind of guy who you could have a conversation with even if you didn't know him," Loffler said.
A childhood friend of Poplawski, identified as Edward Perkovic, said he spoke to Poplawski via telephone at about 8:30 a.m.
"What he said to me today was, 'Eddie, I'm going to die today. Tell your family I love them and I love you.' And I heard gunshots and he hung up the phone. Perkovic said. "This was a complete surprise to me and my family and everyone's families that were friends with him. Nobody ever expected something like this from him."
Perkovic said Poplawski feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon."
Klimczyk spoke with Mayo at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.
"I feel sorry for the families that lost, the police officers that lost. This is a no-win situation for everybody because, no matter what, my nephew will probably get the death penalty because it was a police officer. Whatever punishment he gets, he's going to accept as a man. I apologize to the families and the police officers who serve and protect us that they lost their lives, but I just don't want the stories about my nephew to be told the wrong way," she said.
Friends said Poplawski was a gun enthusiast.
"He has a few weapons. I know he was a machine gun, I know he has a couple rifles and I know he has a couple handguns…They're recreational, and for deer hunting and for everything. I mean, he's not a bad kid," Klimczyk said.
WTAE Channel 4 Action News found
a MySpace page upon which Poplawski identifies himself and said he is a very down-to-Earth, easy-going guy who considers himself a reasonably intelligent and well-spoken young man with a wild life ahead of him, and the world is his oyster.
"I spread my secrets out. Everybody knows something, but nobody knows everything," Poplawski writes on the page. "'Some could call me crazy. My answer would be that at least I insist to exist."
During the incident, police said they believed Poplawski was watching local news coverage, after which, police moved onlookers and the media outside the cordoned-off area. State, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh police, in addition to SWAT members and a state police helicopter, were called to the scene.
Residents described the neighborhood as quiet.
"We've never seen anything like this. It's terrible," said Tom Moffitt, a neighbor.
Incident Follows Recent Police-Shootings
Saturday morning's incident comes two weeks after a police-involved shooting on Pittsburgh's South Side during a DUI enforcement effort involving a Pittsburgh city police officer and a state trooper (
Full Story).
In November, an FBI agent was shot and killed while serving a drug warrant in Indiana Township (
Full Story).
Late last week, thousands mourned four police officers shot and killed in Oakland, Calif., (
Full Story).
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