Now theres going to be a problem with the gun iam going to call out a cover up of stupidity scott do yourself a. Favor and shoot straight on this one before your reputation gets ruined call a spade a spade and move on throw this one under the rug and you and your officers are going to lose the little repect that they have left

I would like to caution all of us residents of Baldwin to not jump to conclusions about this incident. We can call the police anything we want but keep in mind, when the chips are down who do we call? We don't call our neighbor to protect us in the middle of the night - we don't call our friend at work to come out when someone is breaking into our home - we don't call the store clerk when someone destroys our property. We call the police and they are there. So before we get too wrapped up in calling them names and accusing them of "throwing this under the rug" and "losing what little respect they have left," ask yourself who are we going to call when we need protection or help. Most of the ones who criticize them are only envious because they can't be law officers themselves, and this includes the editor of this patch who is trying to gen up some interest through all his drama drama and use of inflamatory words. Lighten up people and appreciate the fact we have men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect us. One day without them and we would see the riots of Detroit, New York, LA and other parts of the country right here in Baldwin. If you can't do the job, don't criticize those who can and do.

You are right, AH. I don't advocate unnecessary violence and that's why I think the use of a professional police force to protect society in matters such as this is the way to go. However, that being said, I am trained in the use of weapons and will NOT allow anyone to come uninvited into my house - day or night. They will meet with the full force of my rights under the castle doctrine. A shotgun will definitely do the job and you don't have to take time for zero tolerance aim.

You actually think the members of the BPD are in their profession to make money for the borough? That is something you should take up with the borough counsel. I have attended many. The BPD has trouble even getting the approval to hire new officers, etc. I don't even know why I comment on these posts as most of the negative comments are coming from those who had a run in with the law and are disgruntled and looking for a way to bash any law enforcement. Sorry, but they deserve every penny they make! They get disrespected, work with the lowest of low individuals on a daily basis, put their life on the line every time they are on duty. I make more money in my profession than most of these officers do and I don't have the risk of not coming home after a day/night of work, called names, or worrying about being sued or making life threatening decisions. This obviously was a terrible accident. You cannot put blame on the entire BPD. They are some of the finest officers. As far as all this talk of sweeping this incident under the rug. Any intelligent human being would understand that it takes time to properly investigate. I am sure Chief Scott is looking at every bit of evidence and will deal with this situation in a professional manner.

Chief Scott has always been upfront about everything, as you read in other articles "He is a straight shooter" and I know he has put years of service in the City of Pittsburgh and is well respected by his peers. He is one of the best, in my opinion. If you were one of the officers involved, wouldn't you want a fair evaluation? Why is no one talking about the man that started this incident in the first place? If he would have cooperated, none of this would have taken place. Instead, this low life resisted and he also threw a shotgun out in the yard! He should be held accountable as well !! Even though this terrible incident happened, it may have stopped a potential murder from happening. Either way, there are always going to be those certain individuals who will speak negatively about law enforcement officers because either they are jealous for not making something out of their lives or had been arrested in the past.

I will put you up for a award c c but the fact of the matter is they all make over 100,000 a year for what they do and there aways thought as hero s its there job i get burnt cut and could fall 75 feet to my death at my job .and when i get hurt or killed there s no 21 gun salute or bag pipes or parade it s my dame job and i work ten times as hard and get paid half of what they make . But i like my job the same as they do the point is they do it for the money like i do don t be stupid . And if i mess up and hurt someone i get fired just like they should . I feel bad miller got shot i know him too . He knew he could get shot on the job but i am sure he never though it would come from another officer with the safety off on the gun behind him ,so now all the people in the borough will pay for this mistake out of are hard earned ever going up taxes and thats it

Thanks for your comments, BB. The same individuals whom you criticize are the same individuals who risk their lives to protect your right to free speech. You are displaying your personal bias and discrimination as a patch on your shoulder rather than a patch to protect and serve. Also, it's apparent why you could never qualify as a professional police officer and I certainly wouldn't want to depend on you to protect me with that attitude. When I have called Baldwin Police they have been professional and courteous, concerned and sensitive. As we have seen, they are not afraid to stand in harms way to protect the law abiding residents of our area from those with ill intentions. As for Chief Scott, he does a yeoman's job and sets the standard for the officers. Sergeant Miller who was injured is not a money grabbing individual who goes around ticking people off as you depict. He gives more of this personal time and energy to Baldwin than all of those who criticize him put together. I recommend you take time to become involved in how our goverment works. Your energy could be used in a positive manner. I think you will have an awakening about how professional and regulated law enforcement works. I know you could be a great asset to our community. Attend council meetings and get involved in the mechanics of how things actually work. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1.

cc has diarrhea of the fingers.

The officer who shot into the side of the House with 2 Kids inside the house should without question be suspended.. The officer who shot the other officer i will wait to hear all the facts before making judgement.

BaldwinGrad why should that officer be suspended? Unless he violated something within his standard operating procedures everyone needs to AGAIN wait for ALL the facts to come out. There is also case law that will play into all this once the investigation is complete. Remember what has been reported so far. The officer is on a different side of the house hears shots being fired. It is unclear if he sees his SGT down. He possibly may believe the shots are directed at him. He delivers one shot in the direction of the house. Graham V Conner is otherwise known as The Reasonable Officer Standard. You can read the case but the highlights are these: The standard is what is reasonable not what is right or wrong. Would another officer with similar or like training have acted in a similar fashion. There is no "20/20 hindsight". Basically would another officer have acted similarly in that same situation. This situation was tense uncertain and rapidly evolving. Remember the Michael Ellerbe case of 2003. Trooper Nassan and his partner are chasing a suspect. Nassan's partner climbs a fence, Nassan hears a shot being fired and sees his partner go down to the ground. Nassan believes his partner has been shot and returns fire and kills Ellerbe. After investigation is complete, Nassan's partner had an accidental discharge of his weapon and fell while going over the fence. Nassan is cleared of criminal charges and mainly because of Graham V Conner.

Let the investigation be the guide and don't be quick to judge. This is an awful situation for all those involved.

Pitt#983, after reading some of these comments I'm convinced there is a ton of reasonable residents in Baldwin who will give this tragedy a chance to unfold in a professional manner. Thank goodness the radical "lynch mob" mentality moved into the minority years ago in defference of law and order. On the surface I personally could see no reason that either officer should be penalized, however, I will leave that decision up to the investigation team and Chief Scott's professional judgement. They will remove the sensationalization that has been expressed in the Baldwin Patch by the editor who uses words designed to favor insurrection, hatred, and discontent. They will remove the heresay comments made by people who have no idea what actually happened. They will focus on factual events from participants and witnesses, not Monday morning quarterbacks. Talk is cheap, facts are invaluable!

@NE12Ukid, exactly, Drama 101. Those who criticize are those who know the least about the facts. Our community has a seriously injured, very capable and well liked police officer. We should be concerned about him and his family, regardless of how he was injured. Next, this was an accident plain and simple. Baldwin does not hire policemen or women with a mentality of shooting other officers; ridiculous and immature thought process. The officer who did the shooting needs to be de-briefed and given time and proper resources for his recovery. The officer who fired his weapon into the house is also devistated. His response was typical based on the information he had at hand and his training. We must support everyone involved while the professionals conduct their investigation to determine the proper response.
Robert, your writing style has been apparent in your articles for some time. An editor has responsibility for the accuracy and wording of what is published and for the protection of those involved in a case like this. History says you take ownership of neither. Maybe you should be investigated and given a chance to work somewhere else. I don't have the time or desire to go back and reread your articles to prove my point. The residents of Whitehall and Baldwin have all seen it. As a starter, a shotgun has a "blast" not a rifle. The weapon was discharged twice but the officer was injured by "one" shot from the rifle, not two rifle blasts as you indicate. Time to cowboy up.

Wow, does anyone have anything better to do then rant, make accusations of not being impartial and being just plain mean?

You are correct, Robert, I am entitled to my opinion. Right now my opinion is not too good but I think it can be changed. I just want to know the news I read from this Patch is being reported truthfully and factually, that it is from reliable sources and is without unnecessary sensationalization. We around here appreciate our first responders tremendously and want them protected from unnecessary exposure. Their sensitivities, their lives, their reputations, and their families are involved. You have an excellent opportunity through this media outlet to do just that and I'm confident you will succeed. Work with and through our local officials, gain their confidence and respect, report factual information as it becomes available through proper channels and you will do a wonderful job. I've read articles from Patches in other parts of our region and there are some good editors out there. You can be just as good or better than them. Just follow proper protocol when reporting and you will do great. Peace.

This is my opinion only, you can't draw a conclusion on how the officer was shot. But as for the other officer, who stood outside the house and fire a shot at the house. He should be terminated immediately, he showed a total disregard for the two children, the two adults and the police officers already in the house. There is absolutely no excuse for his trigger happy actions.

I only commented once on this in the other post. In my opinion, the investigation should be by the district attorneys office and/or the county police. While I do hope the officer makes A full recovery, the fact remains he was shot at least once, but probably twice by his fellow officer behind him. The SGT. was in the line of fire, which the officer should have seen and should have repositioned. Other officer just taking A shot into the window? Sorry, as I said before, no fire disipline. Weapon malfuntion? Highly unlikely, if that is suspected, all the rifles need to be pulled from service, has that been done? Dont know. Panic, adrenaline rush, very likely, seeing your officer down, tunnel vision sets in. Other people where known to be in the house, A woman that made the call and two yound children, that was clearly not taken into consideration as the shots were fired, everyone here is speculating, what if the child was looking out the window when the second officer fired? Blame the man who started it all, sure, hes responsible, to A point.But so are all the police officers involved, remember. they did all the shooting. Did they know he didnt have A gun, no, but that still dont give them A right to blindly fire. A few posts back it was mentioned about the Nasser case involving the State troopers, yes the trooper was cleared criminally of killing the suspect, but overall, the Commonwealth lost the civil case and awarded millions to the family.

Continued, The suspect in the Nasser case was, I believe, shot in the back while running away. The jury obviously didnt buy the story and awarded the millions to the family. Dont get me wrong, I dont agree with criminals, and if you break the law all kinds of things can happen, obviously. Thing is, we will never know, what happened here, unless you can get all the reports from all the agencies involved, police and all medical reports.

@Watcher, lots of speculation going on here by individuals who have no law enforcement background, etc. That is why there is an investigation taking place. I am sure that the officers had to give statements to the county police, etc. and I have the upmost confidence that all will be reviewed and the right actions will follow. From the articles I read, looks to me that the third officer was in a spot where he could not see the officers at the front of the house. Maybe he was watching the back of the house (once again speculation). There is such a thing called "setting up a perimeter". The front door is not the only entry point to a home. Let the right individuals who have years of experience in law enforcement finish their investigation and then formulate an opinion.

Out of town for a little while due to family emergency. Glad to see this debate and the "word on the street" moving toward allowing the powers that be an opportunity to take this incident apart, action by action, reaction by reaction and action by reaction. Unless an individual has actually stood backup for a lead officer who is trying to breach a door or get inside to determine the safety and security of a distraught wife and two young children (having already been told there is, at a minimum, a shotgun on the other side of that door), anything we say is just tongue-wagging. What was going through the officers' minds? What did they see happening? What did their mind tell them they saw happening? How did this relate back to practical training? Should training procedures be modified? What did the second officer know? Had he seen which room the wife and children were in? Statements from old man calling them trigger happy are irresponsible, insensitive and uneducated. @ cc, Danny, Pitt#983, AH and others, thank you for your persistence in suggesting moderation in judgement. If Robert is reporting exactly what he gets from PROFESSIONAL sources (not the perverbial old man on the street), then I will stand corrected in my initial comments. It should be our goal each day to be better communicators than the day before. John 8:7, ....let him who is without sin cast the first stone." The court of public opinion has been replaced with a court of laws! Peace and Thank You.

"Charges Filed Against Man in Baldwin Police Shooting": http://patch.com/A-2pwb

"Blood Drive in Honor of Sgt. Miller Set for Tuesday": http://patch.com/A-2Csk