An East Pittsburgh police officer had been placed on administrative leave and charged with criminal homicide in a shooting that killed 17 Year-Old Antwon Rose Jr.
According to sources the Officer Michael Rosfeld actually admitted to not see a gun when the teen ran away during a traffic stop.
“Antwon Rose did not do anything in North Braddock other than being in that vehicle,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Rosfeld told investigators that he saw “something dark that he perceived as a gun,” but later switched his story.
The officer said he saw something in Rose’s hand “but was not sure what it was.”
“This observation caused him to step from behind the cover of his car door to acquire a better view,” the complaint read. “He then fired his weapon.”
Court records reveal that Rosfeld was arrested Wednesday and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 6.
A person is guilty of criminal homicide if they intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently cause the death of another human being. Zappala said Rosfeld could be charged with first-degree or third-degree murder.
“It’s an intentional act, and there’s no justification for it,” he said.
Two guns were found in the vehicle that Rose fled, but the teen was unarmed. He raised his arms before he ran away in an effort to signal he did not have a gun, Zappala said.
The vehicle was pulled over because cops suspected it was involved in a drive-by shooting earlier that night. Zaijuan Hester, another teen who fled the vehicle, was arrested Monday night and charged Wednesday with aggravated assault and attempted criminal homicide related to the drive-by shooting.
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