Pittsburgh shooting suspect dead after police shootout over eviction notice

1692829534 The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene after extensive gunfire. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene after extensive gunfire Graeme Massie 23 August 2023 23:25 1692828511 Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus told reporters that although they sent seven deputies to execute the order, they never expected the violent response from the suspect. ‘We certainly did not expect this…we had no information that this individual was this dangerous,’ he said. ‘He had a lot of ammunition in that house. We were all strapped with ammunition but all had to call for more ammunition. We tried to give him every opportunity to come out but it elevated to the swat team’s response. And he added: ‘We tried to make contact, we were outside the hose called for him tried to bring him out peacefully to execute the order but clearly that was not in the cards today. ‘We tried talking to him to bring him out to try and talk to him to implement a dialogue with him but that was unsuccessful, when we made contact at the door it drastically changed and we had to use deadly force.’ William Hardison Sr has been identified as the suspect in the Pittsburgh shooting, a source confirmed to The Independent; police pronounced him dead after an hours-long shootout. The suspect was pronounced deceased by Pittsburgh EMS at 5.08pm, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Graeme Massie 23 August 2023 23:08 1692826707 Pittsburgh active shooter William Hardison Sr is dead after hours-long standoff William Hardison Sr, 63, has been identified as the suspect in the Pittsburgh shooting, a source confirmed to The Independent; police pronounced him dead after an hours-long shootout. The suspect was pronounced deceased by Pittsburgh EMS at 5.08pm, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Sources told Channel 11 that Hardison believed he was a ‘sovereign citizen,’ and therefore exempt from the law. William Hardison Sr, 63, who was pronounced dead after a shootout with law enforcement in Pittsburgh on Wednesday Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 22:38 1692826224 A neighbor laments the gun violence crisis: ‘I’m so sick of this’ Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 22:30 1692824159 There appears to be a respite from the gunfire A reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted, ‘Things have been quiet for a while now. Armored vehicle heading into the alley behind Broad Street now.’ Gunshots have persisted on and off for nearly six hours as the suspect has yet to be stopped. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 21:55 1692823136 Pittsburgh’s ‘City in the Streets’ event is postponed due to the ongoing shootout The event, which is described as the mayor’s initiative to for the public to interact with the government officials: ‘Celebrate with us and interact with all of our departments and select authorities in a block party setting at different locations each month around the city.’ In a tweet, it was announced that the event will be postponed as the situation is not yet over. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 21:38 1692821968 The scene is still ‘active and ongoing’ Pittsburgh Public Safety wrote at 4.14pm-over five hours after the shooting was first reported-that it remains active. ‘Updates will be provided when available. We ask for everyone’s patience until the conclusion of this incident,’ Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted. One suspect is involved in the case, according to reports, but has caused massive turbulence in the area. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 21:19 1692821424 Attempted contact with the suspect may be underway Local reports suggest that officers are trying to contact the suspect. A high-ranking official’ told WPXI that ‘the SWAT team is attempting to negotiate with the suspect.’ A reporter at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted, ‘There was some brief gunfire. Now it sounds like they’re trying to hail via megaphone.’ Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 21:10 1692819924 How the hours-long shootout began A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said that ‘our office went to the address to serve an eviction notice and that is when the actor turned violent and began shooting.’ A source told CBS News that the home where the gunfire is erupting was purchased at a sheriff’s sale, and deputies were going to evict a man who was ‘basically squatting,’ knowing it could turn violent. A public safety announcement urging the public to avoid parts of the Garfield neighbourhood was released at 11am; the shooting has spanned hours since. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 20:45 1692818424 According to the White House ‘The President has also been briefed on reports of the active shooter situation in Pittsburgh.’ President Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the other side of the state. The Independent has reached out to the White House for futher comments. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 20:20 Page 2 Close Active shooting in Pittsburgh prompts shelter-in-place order Police pronounced the suspect dead in the Pittsburgh shooting, which spanned hours in the neighbourhood of Garfield. He was identified as 63-year-old William Hardison Sr, a source confirmed to The Independent; his son, William Hardison Jr, told WTAE that he had been begging his father to ‘stand down’ and tried calling him throughout the day to no avail. ‘The subject in this incident was pronounced deceased by @PghEMS at 5:08 p.m. EST,’ Pittsbugh Public Safety tweeted after hours of gunshots being fired. At approximately 11am ET on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Public Safety urged residents to avoid the area of the 4800 block of Broad Street and North Mathilda Street due to a shooting. ‘This is an extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired,’ they wrote on Twitter/X about 20 minutes into the incident. A reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that ‘hundreds of rounds’ were being fired and multiple law enforcement divisions were responding to the incident. Nearly an hour later, around 12pm ET, officers began to evacuate residents in homes nearby and guide them away from the shooting and to safety. The shooting began after deputies from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office went to serve an eviction notice to a resident when the suspect ‘turned violent and began shooting,’ a spokesperson for the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office told The Independent. He added that one sergeant suffered from ‘a minor non-gunfire related injury while avoiding the incoming gunfire. He is ok.’ 1692817259 Amid the active shooting situation in Pittsburgh, a gun violence prevention organisation is using the shooting as an example of the necessary need for gun violence prevention. ‘The uniquely easy access to firearms in America allows minor disputes to quickly escalate and turn deadly,’ Kris Brown president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence said in a statement. ‘Just one person with a firearm can result in hundreds of rounds being fired and shut down an entire neighbourhood, while this is terrifying, today is not unique considering every five hours, someone in Pennsylvania is shot and killed. Guns should not be allowed to terrorise our neighbourhood and put our lives at risk.’ Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 20:00 1692816042 There is only one suspect Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told CNN there is only one suspect, although this individual has not been publicly identified. Although the spokesperson could not confirm the exact location of the home to The Independent , a local reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said it appears as though officers are ‘starting the process of forcing their way into the Broad Street home with equipment.’ Pennsylvania State Police previously said that the suspected shooter is barricaded inside the home amid massive rounds of gunfire. Kelly Rissman 23 August 2023 19:40 1692814859 The Pittsburgh Public Safety Office said the Pennsylvania State Police will investigate the active shooting situation ‘at its conclusion.’ While the Pittsburgh Police are still leading control of the incident, the state police as well as the FBI are involved to help. Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 19:20 1692814559 Pennsylvania State Police said that the suspected shooter in Pittsburgh has themselves barricaded inside the home where they have administered rounds of gunshots. ‘This turns right into an active shooter situation then it proceeds into a barricaded aspect inside a house,’ a police officer said in a video. ‘We’re actively working with all emergency crew here on scene to make sure we end this in the safest way possible.’ Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 19:15 1692813659 Gun control activist, Fred Guttenberg, shared a breaking news story of the Pittsburgh shooting, reminding people of yet another shooting in the United States. ‘Here we go again!!!’ Mr Guttenberg wrote. Mr Guttenberg’s daughter died in the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School shooting in Florida in 2018. He has often shared messages promoting gun control in America by commenting on shootings. Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 19:00 1692812759 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is assisting the Pittsburgh police in handling the active shooting situation, a local reporter tweeted. Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 18:45 1692811859 The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh said they were going to have ‘enhanced security’ on campus and throughout the day as a result of the shooting nearby. The Children’s Hospital, located approximately half a mile from the shooting location said because the suspect is ‘accounted for’ by law enforcement there was no need to lockdown. Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 18:30 1692810658 A sergeant from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office was injured after sustaining a non-gunfire-related injury, according to a reporter from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . It is unclear what exactly transpired but the sergeant was ‘leading the detail’ and sustained the ‘minor injury’ while he was avoiding incoming gunfire. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office told the reporter the officer is fine. Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 18:10 1692809819 Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 17:56 1692809142 Ariana Baio 23 August 2023 17:45