FBI Expands Probe To Include More Local CasesHill Shooting, Mt. Oliver Arrest Added To Federal ReviewPOSTED: 4:22 p.m. EST January 20, 2003 The FBI will add police-related deaths of black men in Pittsburgh and Mount Oliver to an ongoing civil rights investigation of the fatal shooting of an African-American Fayette County child.
Pittsburgh City Councilman Sala Udin said the FBI, which was already reviewing the Christmas Eve death of 12-year-old Michael Ellerbe, has now agreed to look at the Dec. 23 death of Charles Dixon and the Nov. 15 shooting of Bernard Rogers.
Ellerbe was shot in the back while allegedly running from a stolen car during a state police chase in Uniontown. His family's lawyer said a white officer shot the child after the officer's black partner fell and accidentally discharged his weapon.
Dixon, 43, of Altoona, lost consciousness while under arrest at a birthday party at the Mount Oliver fire hall, and died two days later in Mercy Hospital. Borough police said Dixon was drunk at the time of arrest, but his brother has accused the officers of acting with brutality.
Rogers, 26, was shot by Housing Authority officers who were going door-to-door during a drug investigation at Bedford Dwellings in the Hill District. He died of a single shot in the upper chest.
Udin said the FBI was asked to review the three incidents because they would likely be more objective than local authorities.
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