A pair of O’Hara police officers were honored for their heroism and professionalism during a shooting incident in Blawnox.
Township police Superintendent Jay Davis and Blawnox police Chief Patrick Goodman presented medals of bravery to Craig Cress and Maria Sciacca on Sept. 10.
They, along with Blawnox Patrolman Aaron Zolla, were the first to arrive at what turned out to be a deadly domestic situation at Tri-Arc Manufacturing Co. on Fountain Street shortly before 6:30 a.m. March 19.
“The three quickly made their way to where the active shooter was last reported, and they immediately engaged the shooter, taking him into custody,” Davis recapped at the council meeting.
“Neighboring police departments and first responders arrived on scene and took all possible lifesaving measures available to them, addressing the victims’ injuries. All officers and first responders acted at the highest levels of professionalism and were acknowledged for their heroic actions by Blawnox Borough.”
Borough council adopted a resolution commending local responding officers May 8.
The township medals were accompanied by blue and red emblems that were pinned to the officers’ uniforms by their wives, Sibylla Cress and Belinda Sciacca, as part of the awards ceremony.
O’Hara Council members also expressed their gratitude for the police department.
Incident report
Allegheny County Police have charged Sean Black, 43, of Allegheny Township with homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and two counts of carrying a firearm without a license.
He is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Smith, 30.
The two had been in a relationship for several years and had three children together.
Police said the couple recently had separated and Smith began dating a Tri-Arc co-worker, Daniel Zoelle, 26.
Black shot Smith four or five times in the chest and then fired two or three more shots at Zoelle, police said.
Zoelle, who was shot multiple times in the torso and limbs, was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition. Smith was dead at the scene.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty against Black.
A jury trial at Allegheny County Court is scheduled for Jan. 16.
Trained response
Cress, who has been with O’Hara since 2007, was grateful for the recognition and cited a team effort when responding to the Blawnox call.
“It’s appreciated, but there’s a lot of people involved in this not just us,” he said. “North Hills (Special Response Team) does all the active shooter training for us in the last couple years.
“All the officers from outside departments who responded to this also. … Everyone came to this. That tells you something about the officers in our region.”
No officers were injured in the incident.
Sciacca has been with the township department since 2018. She also is the department’s drone operator.
Sciacca said the commendation helps to reinforce the notion that everyone followed their training and had the right response to a dangerous situation.
“A lot of what we do can sometimes go under the radar,” she said. “We never expect things like this. When you get the opportunity to be honored like this, it’s always appreciated. It always reinforces what we’re doing and that we’re doing the right thing — and we’re doing it for the right reasons. We always appreciate the support that our township gives us.
“We’re lucky enough to be in a place where the cooperation between departments has always been high. It’s just one more thing that reinforces for us that we’re appreciated and what we’re doing is really for the betterment of everybody. We’re happy to do it.”
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.