Washington Co. Man With Knife Fatally Shot By State Troopers

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

CANTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- State troopers fatally shot a Washington County man who had a knife and was threatening neighbors Sunday afternoon.

It happened just after 4 p.m. at a trailer park on Mark Avenue in Canton Township.

State police say two troopers were sent to the area for a report of a man with a knife acting erratically and threatening neighbors.

The man was later identified as 34-year-old Anthony Edward Gallo.

Watch Lynne-Hayes Freeland's report --

At a press conference Monday, state police said when the troopers arrived on the scene, they found Gallo in the entrance of a mobile home. They learned that Gallo had forcibly entered the home and threatened to kill one of its occupants. The victim had escaped just before troopers arrived.

State police say Gallo brandished the knife, threatened to kill the state troopers and refused repeated commands to drop the knife.

He then retreated back into the home and went into the back bedroom. Troopers followed Gallo and again told him to drop the knife.

Pennsylvania State Police Capt. Joseph Ruggery says Gallo advanced on the troopers, and one trooper fired multiple shots at Gallo, striking him multiple times.

Gallo died at the scene.

No one else was injured in the incident.

According to family members, Gallo "had some problems" after hitting his head in a car accident in May.

He had been staying with his grandmother at the trailer park when he started behaving erratically. Gallo's family called 911, hoping to get paramedics to respond and get him admitted for mental evaluation.

His family doesn't think deadly force was necessary.

"I was standing right by the trailer door, and they went in and didn't even give him a chance. They just shot him six times," one family member said. "They said, 'Drop the knife. Drop the knife,' then shot him four more times."

"They knew what call they were coming down for," Shawn Herring, Gallo's cousin, said. "They knew it was somebody who needed psychiatric help."

"Every time you turn around, he was hugging me and saying, 'Grandma, I love you,'" Shirley Gray, the victim's grandmother, said. "I'll miss him."

The investigation is ongoing. State police are not releasing the names of the state troopers involved in the shooting at this time.

State police ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident or been threatened by Gallo to call them at (724) 223-5200.