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Hundreds of bullets fired in shootout with suspected cop killer
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Here is a timeline of the incident this morning in Stanton Heights in which three Pittsburgh police officers were killed and another two were injured:
At 7:05 a.m., two officers responded to a domestic-disturbance call at 1016 Fairfield St.
The first officer on the scene, Paul Sciullo II, entered the house and was shot in the head by a suspect police identified as Richard Poplawski, 22.
Moments later, a second officer backing up Officer Scuillo, Stephen Mayhle, also sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Officer Eric Kelly, a 14-year veteran whose shift had ended and was headed home, arrived moments later and also was shot dead.
With the police SWAT team en route, another officer, 15-year veteran Timothy McManaway, was shot in the hand as he tried to offer assistance to Officers Scuillo and Kelly.
The suspect then moved to an upstairs bedroom and exchanged gunfire with the SWAT team; as many as 100 shots were fired.
A fifth officer, Brian Jones, was injured while trying to secure the rear of the home. He broke his leg while scaling a fence that then collapsed.
About 90 minutes after the initial call and following an evacuation of some neighbors, a SWAT armored vehicle that had arrived at the residence was fired upon. The suspect, who police said was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was wounded in the leg, perhaps multiple times, from police fire.
Telephone negotiations with Mr. Poplawski ensued. After making calls to family and friends while also talking directly with police, he agreed to surrender. His mother, Margaret, who was in the house during the standoff, also was removed from the premises.
He was taken into custody after indicating he no longer held a weapon and was transported to UPMC Presbyterian, where he reportedly was in fair condition.
First Published April 4, 2009 3:59 pm
