READING, Pa. (AP) - An eastern Pennsylvania prosecutor says a police officer was justified in using deadly force on an armed man after a report of threats at a neighbor’s backyard barbecue.
The Berks County district attorney announced his decision Wednesday in the Feb. 24 shooting death of 62-year-old Michael Stoudt in Reading.
Neighbors said Stoudt had pointed a rifle over his backyard fence at the group, which included a half-dozen children, because he was upset about someone smoking on the property.
Officers said they found him on his porch with a shotgun, and he refused to drop the weapon and instead pointed it in their direction, after which an officer fired several times.
District Attorney John Adams called the officer’s actions a reasonable act of self-defense and the defense of others.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.