Crime & Safety
County Police Say No Criminal Negligence by Baldwin Police in Shooting
Meantime, a suspect involved in the February incident remains in jail.
The suspect who allegedly shut a door on Baldwin Borough police officers, leading to one officer's rifle going off and firing two shots into a police sergeant's back, remains in the Allegheny County Jail after waiving his preliminary hearing last week, according to an online docket sheet.
Meantime, Baldwin Mayor Alexander R. Bennett Jr. is reviewing an internal investigation of the incident that included a firearms review, interviews with police officers and an Allegheny County police investigation, to determine if any action should be taken on his part, according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.
The county police's investigation determined that there was no criminal negligence by Baldwin police, the newspaper reported.
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Police were responding to a domestic disturbance at Bryan Robert Lijewski's home in central Baldwin in February when Sgt. Ralph Miller knocked on the home's front door with another officer in a backup position.
Lijewski refused to show his hands, according to police, and tried to close the door. The officers then tried to stop the door from closing when the backup officer's rifle went off, striking Miller in the back twice, according to police.
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A third Baldwin officer then fired at the home but did not hit anyone. Neither of the Baldwin officers who fired shots has been identified.
Two children were inside of the home at the time of the shooting.
Miller has since left the hospital where he was receiving treatment for his wounds but is still recovering.
Lijewski is charged with one count each of illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance, three counts each of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, and two counts of endangering the welfare of children. He will have a formal arraignment at the Allegheny County Courthouse on May 28.
District Magistrate John N. Bova, whose office is at the Wallace Building in central Baldwin, has lowered Lijewski's bail from $25,000 to $15,000.
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