EAST VANDERGRIFT, Pa. — The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office says an officer-involved shooting in East Vandergrift in February was ruled as justified.
Channel 11 previously reported that a man identified as Lyle Cessna, 52, died a few weeks after he was shot by law enforcement while the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve an arrest warrant at his home on Feb. 14.
In a report, Westmoreland County DA Nicole Zicarelli says that after Cessna came out of the apartment, he pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it at his head as law enforcement began to approach him. Cessna pulled the trigger, but the gun malfunctioned.
Zicarelli says after clearing the malfunction and racking the gun, Cessna then pointed it in the direction of police. That is when task force members fired their weapons, hitting him three times.
After reviewing evidence, police reports and witness statements, Zicarelli’s office determined the use of force was reasonable due to “the immediate threat of seriously bodily injury and/or death to the officers if deadly force was not used.”
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