The Allegheny County Medical Examiner on Tuesday identified the Whitehall man who authorities fatally shot as Selwyn Brown.
Brown, 54, opened fire Tuesday morning on state Attorney General’s Office agents and police, who were executing a search warrant for a felon who possessed and illegally transferred firearms, authorities said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:11 a.m., the medical examiner said. No cause or manner of death has been reported.
Brown was the second suspect fatally shot by authorities in Pittsburgh’s South Hills in less than a week. An armed man who fought with Brentwood police as they tried to arrest him on June 5 was fatally shot by a police officer. That man was identified as Craig McGrath, 37, of Pittsburgh.
On Tuesday, authorities said they arrived just after 6 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of Parkline Drive in Whitehall. They suspected Brown had illegal firearms inside, police said.
When officers announced their presence and attempted to enter the apartment, Brown fired multiple shots, retreated, then re-emerged to open fire again, police and the state Attorney General’s Office said.
Police said they returned fire and fatally struck the man. No officers were hurt.
Allegheny County Police and the Attorney’s General Office would not specify which officers or which agency fired at Brown — or who fired the fatal shot.
“Agents returned fire,” state Attorney General’s Office spokesman Brett Hambright told TribLive. “The individual is deceased. No agents, or other individuals, were injured or struck by gunfire.”
He declined further comment.
No Whitehall police officer was inside the Parkline Drive building at the time of the shooting or discharged their weapon against Brown, Whitehall police Chief Jason Gagorik told TribLive.
Gagorik referred questions about the shooting to Allegheny County Police and questions over “the illegal firearm investigation” to the state Attorney General’s Office.
“Whitehall police department provided scene security and support for the involved agents and investigating agencies,” Gagorik said.
Whitehall Borough Manager Courtney M. Wertz did not respond Tuesday to emails or phone calls seeking comment. She was not in her office when a TribLive reporter visited the borough’s administrative building at about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Brown was scheduled to appear at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday in front of District Judge David J. Barton for a “recovery of real property hearing” at a magisterial court in Castle Shannon, court records show.
That court case, which was postponed until June 21, involved Whitehall Place Holdings, LLC and a claim of $1,944.69, court records show.
A staff member at the court said officials on Tuesday postponed all property hearings. She had no additional information on Brown’s case.
Whitehall Place Holdings LLC purchased 1838 Parkline Dr., where Brown lived, for $1 on Dec. 16, 2020, Allegheny County property records show.
The holding company listed addresses in Northampton County, about 80 miles north of Philadelphia. Officials there could not be reached for comment.
Brown’s criminal record dates back more than 20 years, court records show.
In Philadelphia County in 2002, Brown pleaded guilty to criminal charges including rape, robbery, burglary and kidnapping, court records show. A judge sentenced him to 10 to 20 years in prison in connection with the September 2000 crimes.
Brown served six years inside at least two different state prisons between 1992 and 2000, state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Maria Bivens told TribLive on Tuesday. He was imprisoned in May 2001 on the Philadelphia County charges and paroled nearly 21 years later, on Jan. 22, 2022.
Philadelphia-based attorney David B. Mischak, who represented Brown more than 20 years ago, did not return multiple phone calls on Tuesday seeking comment.
Brown, who lived in Apartment #4 at 1838 Parkline Dr., also was registered with state police as a lifetime sex offender due to the rape case, the state’s Megan’s Law website said Tuesday.
None of Brown’s neighbors identified him early Tuesday as a possible victim of the shooting.
Several people living neighborhood, a residential area filled with several, multi-story apartment buildings, said they heard gunshots Tuesday morning but didn’t know what caused them. Day workers outside a convenience store down the street also knew nothing about the incident.
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Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-255-8477. Callers can remain anonymous.