PITTSTON, Pa. – The police killing of a 77-year-old Pennsylvania man waving a realistic-looking pellet gun while on a motorized scooter has been ruled "suicide via police officer."
The two police officers involved were cleared Tuesday of any wrongdoing.
Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis says the officers had asked Robert Patrick Quinn to drop his weapon 15 to 20 times and opened fire only after he pointed it at one of them.
Quinn was killed Sunday night outside an apartment complex for elderly, disabled and low-income residents in Pittston, in the northeast corner of the state.
Salavantis says Quinn's acquaintances, roommate and ex-wife reported he had complained of constant pain and had suicidal thoughts for at least a decade. She says he had made recent statements about being shot by police.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
