PITTSBURGH (AP) - A medical examiner has classified as homicide the death of a western Pennsylvania man shot earlier this month by state troopers who said he rushed at them with a knife.
The Allegheny County medical examiner said Tuesday that 20-year-old Steven Ward was killed by a gunshot wound of the trunk and right arm.
Troopers in Washington County were sent early Dec. 7 to the home near Avella after Ward’s mother called 911 to report that her son was “out of control,” breaking things and fighting with relatives.
State police said troopers shot Ward when he rushed at them with a 10-inch knife. Police said relatives told them that Ward said he planned to rush at arriving troopers in hopes of being killed. District Attorney Eugene Vittone called the shooting justified.
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