Argument Over Ladder Leads To Shooting, SWAT Situation In Allentown
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ALLENTOWN (KDKA) - A suspect is in custody after a SWAT situation ended peacefully in the city's Allentown neighborhood.
Police said the incident came to a close with no shots fired.
Residents in the neighborhood where the standoff occurred were told to leave their homes earlier this evening for their own safety, they've now been allowed to return.
The standoff incident took place on Walter Street after police negotiators were able to talk the man into surrendering.
Police shut down several streets in the immediate area, but vehicle traffic was allowed to continue on Warrington Avenue.
The Walter St. standoff began after calls of gunfire were made to 911 with callers saying that someone had been shot.
Pittsburgh Police Zone 3 Cmdr. Cristyn Zett told reporters "At approximately six o'clock this evening, we had a shooting incident in the 500-block of Industry Street. We had one victim taken to the hospital in good condition, shot in the leg. About 25 minutes later, we received a call that the shooting suspect was up on the roof on a building in the 100-block of Walter Street. We called our SWAT team and negotiators after a lengthy negotiation, the suspect was taken into custody."
Police have charged Michael Rooney with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and allegedly shooting a man in the leg.
Police believe Rooney got into an argument with the victim over a ladder. The victim reportedly borrowed the ladder from Rooney, but sold it for drug money, which made Rooney upset.
Neighbors said they were inside playing a game when they heard the commotion. They went outside on their front porch, but an officer told them to go back inside.
"I mean you can get a ladder at Home Depot it wasn't that serious," Kayla Thomas, a neighbor, said.
"Stupid, I think it could be settled through talking honestly," said Robert Dennis, a neighbor. "I just heard the cops saying to him 'Mike, pick up the phone so you can talk to the negotiator.'"
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