Peduto, Acting Police Chief Meet With Family Of Victim In Police-Involved Shooting

LARIMER (KDKA) -- Mayor Bill Peduto and Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert met with the family of a man who was shot and killed by police on Tuesday.

They say they are doing what they can to help the family through a difficult time.

"Emotionally, they're heartbroken. They lost somebody that they loved dearly," says Mayor Peduto.

It all started on Sunday. Police were investigating a report of a burglary at a home on Finley Street in Larimer. Officers at the scene say someone inside the home started firing shots, so they fired back, thinking the shots were being fired at them. Christopher Thompkins died at the scene.

"This family is not only sad because they lost a loved one, but a loved one that was a much bigger player and much more important than I probably would have imagined," says Mayor Peduto.

According to court records, Thompkins should not have had a gun because he had previously been convicted of homicide. But family members say he had turned his life around, and had even recently begun caring for his aging mother.

"I think they want the city to remember Mr. Thompkins for his entire life, for the care that he gave, for the love that he gave to his family, and the care that he gave to his mother," says Mayor Peduto. "Mr. Thompkins obviously had some issues in the past, but he had changed. He had become the rock of his family. This family depended upon him for so much."

The officers involved in the shooting are now on administrative leave as the investigation into the incident continues.

As for the reported burglary, the man allegedly involved is charged with criminal trespassing.

"I have a meeting [Wednesday] with the Chief and with the Public Safety Director, and I will get an update on the case itself then," says Mayor Peduto.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's office is handling the investigation.

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