Cops: Halfway House Escapee Unarmed When Shot During Arrest
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA/AP) - Local police say a man wanted for violating his parole after leaving a halfway house last year was unarmed when he was shot as federal marshals went to arrest him at his girlfriend's home in Fayette County.
Uniontown Police are investigating Monday's shooting of 30-year-old Casey McDonald.
A team of seven U.S. marshals from Pittsburgh went to arrest him. One was in a vehicle with another prisoner, four went into the home and two stayed outside.
Police say the four marshals inside the home heard a gunshot from a bedroom where they found McDonald with a shoulder wound.
Al Thorpe was about 100 yards away getting his little girls on the bus when he heard the gunfire.
"I'm just terrified," said Thorpe. "I'm standing on the corner and the house is right there. I took my girls in the house."
Thorpe sheltered his daughter. But McDonald, shot in the shoulder, gave up.
The marshals initially believed it was self-inflicted, but now police are investigating whether the shot was fired by one of the marshals outside the home as McDonald tried to climb out a window.
McDonald was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, and is expected to survive. He was allegedly staying in a female friend's apartment.
The woman was also questioned by police.
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