Police remain mum about man killed by Churchill cop in Forest Hills

A Churchill police officer shot and killed an armed man Thursday night outside a Forest Hills home, but details about the incident remained sparse Friday as officials refused to divulge more information.

The 48-year-old man, who police did not name, died overnight, according to Allegheny County Police.

Officials and police from both Forest Hills and Churchill on Friday declined to comment about the shooting or name the officer who fired the fatal shot.

County police said Churchill police would decide whether to identify the officer.

A county 911 dispatcher was alerted around 9:20 p.m. to “a disturbance” in the 200 block of Glasgow Road in Forest Hills, police said. Officers from Forest Hills, Churchill and Swissvale responded.

“As officers arrived, they heard a firearm being chambered and a shot fired,” county police said in a prepared statement.

Police said they encountered an armed man. A Churchill police officer shot the man in the torso.

Jim Madalinsky, a county police spokesman, said Friday that he had no details to release about the sound that alarmed the officers at the scene. He said only one Churchill police officer fired.

County officials said it remains unclear if the medical examiner’s office will be able to identify the victim on Friday. A global technology outage that grounded flights across the U.S. and disrupted businesses is also impacting county operations.

“Their ability to do their job and release information is very limited,” said Abigail Gardner, spokeswoman for Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.

#Update: The individual involved in this incident was pronounced deceased at the hospital overnight. The investigation is ongoing. https://t.co/zg7171L4QH

— Allegheny County PD (@AlleghenyCoPD) July 19, 2024

The nearby commotion on his street Thursday caused Mike Mehalik to peer out a window shortly after 9 p.m. He saw officers in four Churchill police cars parked near his home.

“Within seconds, you just heard ‘Bang! Bang!’ — two shots,” said Mehalik, 53.

“We’ve been here for 30 years and this is the first time we’ve encountered something like this,” said his wife, Kristen Mehalik, also 53.

Multiple neighbors living on what they described as a close-knit suburban block stepped out of their homes Thursday night to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

Within an hour of the shots being fired, about eight police vehicles filled the small street, the Mehaliks said.

Sheila Morton lives across the street from the two, long driveways where she and others believe the shooting might have occurred. At the time of the shooting, she had muted her TV and heard noises outside.

“I don’t think I’ve even ever heard gunshots,” said Morton, 63, a neighborhood resident for more than 20 years. “I thought it was fireworks — but then a woman screamed.”

When Morton went to sleep around 2:30 a.m. Friday, she said police still remained outside her home.

The county’s homicide unit is investigating. Anyone with information can call the county police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS (1-833-255-8477). Callers can remain anonymous.