Fayette County officer-involved shooting ruled as justified

REDSTONE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office has determined that the deadly force used in an officer-involved shooting in Redstone Township was justified.

The DA’s office on Wednesday released its findings into the Jan. 29 incident at a Lyandale Road home, where Christopher Hackney, 27, was shot by police and killed after they were called to the area to check on a suicidal man.

The investigation into the incident revealed that Hackney approached an officer holding what looked to be an AR-15. He then “shouldered” the weapon and threatened an officer, which is when the officer fired, killing him.

Investigators later determined the weapon Hackney had was an “extremely realistic” airsoft BB gun. The DA’s office says the gun was “not an apparent fake from any reasonable distance.”

The DA’s office also reports that Hackney had previously made statements about wanting to commit “suicide by cop,” and had a mix of drugs and prescription drugs in his system on the day of the shooting.

After reviewing footage, evidence, medical records, and collecting statements, the DA’s office determined the officer’s deadly force was reasonable.

"Members of law enforcement place themselves in danger every single day and must react to perceived threats with an appropriate level of force; use of deadly force is justified not only when they are in actual danger of unlawful attack but also when they mistakenly, but reasonably, believe that they are," the office’s statement reads in part.

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