Eviction turns violent in Pittsburgh as squatter barricades himself and exchanges gunfire with sledgehammer-wielding cops serving eviction notice, witnesses report ‘hundreds of shots fired’
Locals Wednesday morning were advised to avoid 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in the Garfield, Pittsburgh
Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice, his relatives owned the home, and when they died, he refused to leave
Property went to a tax sale, and now has a new owner, but the squatter identified as veteran William Bill Hardison, 62, still refused to vacate
Witness recounts seeing five sheriff’s deputies and a man in plain clothes knocking on the door for 30 to 45 minutes, asking the person inside to come out
Cops eventually, used a sledgehammer to get inside, but the squatter wearing full body amour opened fire and the exchange began of ‘staccato gunfire far too numerous and fast to count’
Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice – but when they approached the property, the occupant opened fire
Video taken at the scene showed multiple police cars surrounding the residential street, while at least 15 gunshots were fired in the background. Police gave the urgent warning this morning
Pittsburgh is in the midst of an ‘extremely’ active shooting situation where hundreds of rounds of bullets are being fired on a residential street.
The gunman barricaded himself in a house after police tried to serve him an eviction notice around 11am.
Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice. Relatives of veteran as William Bill Hardison, 62, owned the home, and when they died, he refused to leave. The property went to a tax sale, and now has a new owner. But the squatter still refused to vacate.
Multiple SWAT teams are at the scene on 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in Garfield, Pittsburgh.
A sergeant leading the incident suffered a minor injury while avoiding the gunfire, two police drones, which were deployed to circle the home to provide assistance and knowledge to the teams on the ground, were also shot down by the suspect.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers are responding to an active shooting situation in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood, and residents are being warned to stay away
Multiple SWAT teams are at the scene – and the gunman is believed to have barricaded himself in a house after cops tried to serve him an eviction notice
One witness recounts seeing five sheriff’s deputies and a man in plain clothes knocking on the door. For 30 to 45 minutes, asking the person inside to come out.
Eventually, police used a sledgehammer to get inside. and the shooting began, staccato gunfire that sounded like at least two different calibers, far too numerous and fast to count.
The Hardison, who was wearing “full body armor” and firing at them, police said
Witnesses said that after banging on the door to speak to the person inside, police used a sledgehammer to get inside. It was at this point that the gunfire started
Heavy police presence on scene during shootout in Pittsburgh
The ordeal descended into a gunfight, and ‘hundreds’ of rounds were fired.
Some of the deputies have run out of ammunition, according to initial reports. Others have been injured during the stand-off situation.
Around a dozen Pittsburgh SWAT officers were seen arriving at the scene, gearing up, to confront the gunman.
One deputy was ‘pinned down’ in a defensive position during the assault. He was saved by a member of the SWAT team, CBS reported..
Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice. The man’s relatives owned the home, and when they died, he refused to leave. The property went to a tax sale, and now has a new owner. But the squatter still refused to vacate
The standoff which is occurring not far from St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and UPMC Children’s Hospital.
Videos taken at the scene showed multiple police cars surrounding the residential street, while at least 20 gunshots were fired in the background.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one neighbor said he heard hundreds of rounds when the shooting started – and there have been hundreds of rounds since
Pittsburgh’s SWAT team has taken over the scene, with officials describing it as an “extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired.” SWAT are now going door to door to evacuate everyone on the street. As of 12.20pm, gunfire is still going off
Residents have been told to avoid 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in the Garfield, Pittsburgh. The suspect is believed to be barricaded in the block
He immediately hit the ground in his living room as police told people to keep away from windows.
Chris Wilkinson, who is visiting family in the area, told CBS: ‘In the beginning, all we heard was the cops. They were banging on the door where the shooting takes place.
‘They were banging on it telling him they were there. And after a couple of minutes of them doing it, they started to kick down the door, but after a few tries they couldn’t do it.
‘Then, they got a sledgehammer and took down the door, and after that shots started to be fired. I’ve been really nervous and it’s really sad what’s happening.
‘You think you can be safe here but you can’t with what’s happening.’
SWAT are now going door to door to evacuate everyone on the street.
Neighborhood Academy School has gone into lockdown. West Penn Hospital is under a partial lockdown. As of 12.20pm, gunfire is still going off. There continues to be volleys of bullets fired.
SWAT members on the scene have now deployed robots.
Leslie Thompson, who lives in the house across the street from the commotion received direct hits as a fallout: ‘It’s unbelievable. I’m very nervous. Shots were ringing out everywhere.’
Thompson, who was working from home at the time, told CBS that she ran to the basement when she started hearing the ordeal outside her window.
She was screaming and crying while on the phone to her manager – and her home was also breached by gunfire. The gunshots came through her window in her living room and her bathroom – which is now riddled with bullet holes. Glass is shattered everywhere in her home, she said.
Thompson was evacuated from her home by police.
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