PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh police officer was shot in the city’s East Hills neighborhood while approaching a suspect in an earlier deadly shooting, officials say.
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Allegheny County police have charged 38-year-old Stanley West in connection with an incident in Robinson Township that left a motel’s manager dead and a woman injured.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the manager as 50-year-old Rakesh Ehagaban of Robinson Township.
Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said that, according to preliminary information, police were called to the 4200 block of Steubenville Pike in Robinson Township at 1:04 p.m. for reports of a shooting at a motel.
A second call came in shortly afterward about a shooting victim at a business in the 4400 block of Steubenville Pike.
Responding officers determined a man shot his female companion during a dispute in the motel parking lot, Kearns said. She fled to a nearby business, where she requested help.
The manager of the motel went out to see what had happened and was shot, Kearns said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, Allegheny County police said in a release.
Police in the area were told to be on the lookout for a U-Haul van in connection with the incident, Kearns said.
A team of Pittsburgh detectives and county homicide investigation officers found the U-Haul in the 2200 block of Wilner Drive in the East Hills, and they approached it at 2:29 p.m., Kearns said. Detectives used an unmarked vehicle to pin the U-Haul in, preventing it from fleeing.
The suspect stepped out of the U-Haul and began shooting at detectives, who returned fire, Kearns said.
The suspect was struck in the legs and lower back, and one city detective was struck in the leg, Kearns said. The suspect was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and the detective was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Channel 11 sources confirm that the detective has been shot on the job before.
That officer was part of a traffic stop in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood in March 2020. Sources say the suspect opened fire on police, who returned fire, killing the suspect. The detective was struck in the hip.
Channel 11 has learned from law enforcement officials that the detective was able to limp to safety after being shot in the East Hills. Officers then applied a tourniquet, and the detective was taken to UPMC Presbyterian.
The suspect, Stanley West, remains hospitalized. Police have charged him with criminal homicide, attempted homicide and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the Robinson Township incident.
Pennsylvania State Police are leading the investigation.
Two Pittsburgh officers and an Allegheny County officer have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who earlier in the day was in Pittsburgh to speak on the ongoing revitalization of Downtown, posted on social media that he and his wife are praying for the detective who was shot.
“Just hours before, I was standing with the men and women of the Pittsburgh Police Department to honor their hard work,” Shapiro said. “Our law enforcement officers run towards danger every day to keep our communities and our families safe – and I will always have their backs."
Pittsburgh City Councilperson Khari Mosley posted on social media that he’s been briefed on what led up to the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the victims of this tragedy, and I thank our public safety personnel for their service as more information is gathered in the coming hours and days,” Mosley said.
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