News > Local State
Pittsburgh Mourns Three Fallen Officers
Some Politicize Event
By MICHAEL P. TREMOGLIE, The Bulletin
Three Pittsburgh police officers were fatally shot last Saturday while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Two were killed approaching the front door of the house. A third was fatally wounded next to his vehicle. A fourth was wounded attempting to rescue one of his comrades.
The first two murdered officers were Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III; each had two years on the force. The third officer killed was Eric Kelly, a 14-year veteran of the force.
Officer Kelly had just reported off duty when he heard the domestic dispute nearby. He went to the scene to lend assistance.
The alleged murder, Richard Poplawski, 23, was wounded in the legs. He surrendered after a standoff with police.
According to The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the suspect’s mother, Margaret Poplawski, called police to have her son removed from her house after an argument. Officers Sciullo and Mayhle arrived at the home at 7:11 a.m. and were shot as they entered. The shooter then emerged from the house and fired additional shots into one of the victims.
Officer Kelly was ambushed and wounded near his sport-utility vehicle in front of the house. A fourth officer, Timothy McManaway, then arrived and pulled Officer Kelly out of the line of fire. Mr. McManaway was wounded in the process.
Some gun control advocates and left-wing bloggers are attempting to politicize the incident. They are citing the alleged shooters political beliefs and his access to guns.
The Post Gazette quoted friends as saying he was disconsolate about being unemployed and “strongly opposed Barack Obama’s candidacy.” They also said he was an advocate of gun ownership and was fearful that Mr. Obama would take his guns away from him.
But an article yesterday in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette by Dennis B. Roddy added another dimension. It said Mr. Poplawski, “Subscribed to conspiracy theories” and that he “… was posting … on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront.”
Left-wing blogs said he was anti-Semitic.
The same day of the shooting, Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, hurriedly issued a statement.
It said, “In Pittsburgh on Saturday, three police officers were murdered, reportedly by an assault-weapon wielding man … who apparently believed the gun lobby propaganda that an ‘Obama gun ban’ would lead to his ‘rights being infringed upon.’”
The National Rifle Association has not issued a statement about the incident or responded to requests for comment.
But another friend of Mr. Poplawski, Aaron Vire, 23, who is black and an Obama supporter said he, “Wasn’t a racist…. He thought he was losing some of his rights.”
There are some who are decrying the politicization of this incident. They say that the act of a mentally unbalanced individual is not a political statement and wonder why the mainstream media attaches political motivations to it but ignores the political acts of rational individuals who deliberately killed police.
One such person is Jim Pera, a former San Francisco police officer. He retired 10 years ago after serving 30 years. He was first on the scene when a bomb at a San Francisco police station killed one officer in 1972. The bombing was allegedly executed by the Weather Underground, a group founded by an associate of President Obama, Bill Ayers, now a college professor in Chicago.
“The reason they do not go after Ayers is simple,” he said. “He is a left-wing professor and a friend of Obama.”
Mr. Pera said he thinks the media is capitalizing on the incident to censure conservatives and promote gun control.”
“What does Obama banning guns have to do with shooting cops?” he said. “He sounds like he is unbalanced guy. He was a nuisance to the neighbors.”
Mr. Poplawski faces three counts of homicide and numerous other charges.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
About the Officers
Eric Kelly
Kelly, 41, had just finished working the overnight shift and was on his way home when he responded to the shooting.
Kelly, a former Marine, entered the police academy in 1995. In the late 1990s, he patrolled the some of the city’s most violent East End neighborhoods with Detective Robert Pires.
He is survived by his wife, Marena; daughters Tameka, 22, Autumn, 16, and Janelle, 11; his mother, Francis Kelly; and a sister.
Stephen Mayhle
Like Sciullo, Mayhle joined the Pittsburgh police two years ago. Sgt. Eric Holmes, their supervisor at the Zone 5 station where they worked, said both officers were “young, energetic.”
Mayhle celebrated his 29th birthday Friday. Mayhle and his wife recently bought a home in the city after living with their daughters in a high-rise apartment building.
Mayhle is survived by his wife, Shandra; daughters, Jennifer, 6, and Brooklynn, 3; his parents, Marjorie and Ronald Mayhle; and two brothers.
Paul Sciullo III
Sciullo, 37, worked with computers before deciding to join the police bureau about two years ago. He grew up in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, home of the city’s Little Italy section, and played hockey and golf at Central Catholic High School.
Sciullo was the first officer who entered the home and was shot in the head.
Sciullo is survived by his parents, Paul and Julia Sciullo; two sisters; and his fiancee, Lisa Esposito.
AP
The first two murdered officers were Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III; each had two years on the force. The third officer killed was Eric Kelly, a 14-year veteran of the force.
Officer Kelly had just reported off duty when he heard the domestic dispute nearby. He went to the scene to lend assistance.
The alleged murder, Richard Poplawski, 23, was wounded in the legs. He surrendered after a standoff with police.
According to The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the suspect’s mother, Margaret Poplawski, called police to have her son removed from her house after an argument. Officers Sciullo and Mayhle arrived at the home at 7:11 a.m. and were shot as they entered. The shooter then emerged from the house and fired additional shots into one of the victims.
Officer Kelly was ambushed and wounded near his sport-utility vehicle in front of the house. A fourth officer, Timothy McManaway, then arrived and pulled Officer Kelly out of the line of fire. Mr. McManaway was wounded in the process.
Some gun control advocates and left-wing bloggers are attempting to politicize the incident. They are citing the alleged shooters political beliefs and his access to guns.
The Post Gazette quoted friends as saying he was disconsolate about being unemployed and “strongly opposed Barack Obama’s candidacy.” They also said he was an advocate of gun ownership and was fearful that Mr. Obama would take his guns away from him.
But an article yesterday in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette by Dennis B. Roddy added another dimension. It said Mr. Poplawski, “Subscribed to conspiracy theories” and that he “… was posting … on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront.”
Left-wing blogs said he was anti-Semitic.
The same day of the shooting, Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, hurriedly issued a statement.
It said, “In Pittsburgh on Saturday, three police officers were murdered, reportedly by an assault-weapon wielding man … who apparently believed the gun lobby propaganda that an ‘Obama gun ban’ would lead to his ‘rights being infringed upon.’”
The National Rifle Association has not issued a statement about the incident or responded to requests for comment.
But another friend of Mr. Poplawski, Aaron Vire, 23, who is black and an Obama supporter said he, “Wasn’t a racist…. He thought he was losing some of his rights.”
There are some who are decrying the politicization of this incident. They say that the act of a mentally unbalanced individual is not a political statement and wonder why the mainstream media attaches political motivations to it but ignores the political acts of rational individuals who deliberately killed police.
One such person is Jim Pera, a former San Francisco police officer. He retired 10 years ago after serving 30 years. He was first on the scene when a bomb at a San Francisco police station killed one officer in 1972. The bombing was allegedly executed by the Weather Underground, a group founded by an associate of President Obama, Bill Ayers, now a college professor in Chicago.
“The reason they do not go after Ayers is simple,” he said. “He is a left-wing professor and a friend of Obama.”
Mr. Pera said he thinks the media is capitalizing on the incident to censure conservatives and promote gun control.”
“What does Obama banning guns have to do with shooting cops?” he said. “He sounds like he is unbalanced guy. He was a nuisance to the neighbors.”
Mr. Poplawski faces three counts of homicide and numerous other charges.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
About the Officers
Eric Kelly
Kelly, 41, had just finished working the overnight shift and was on his way home when he responded to the shooting.
Kelly, a former Marine, entered the police academy in 1995. In the late 1990s, he patrolled the some of the city’s most violent East End neighborhoods with Detective Robert Pires.
He is survived by his wife, Marena; daughters Tameka, 22, Autumn, 16, and Janelle, 11; his mother, Francis Kelly; and a sister.
Stephen Mayhle
Like Sciullo, Mayhle joined the Pittsburgh police two years ago. Sgt. Eric Holmes, their supervisor at the Zone 5 station where they worked, said both officers were “young, energetic.”
Mayhle celebrated his 29th birthday Friday. Mayhle and his wife recently bought a home in the city after living with their daughters in a high-rise apartment building.
Mayhle is survived by his wife, Shandra; daughters, Jennifer, 6, and Brooklynn, 3; his parents, Marjorie and Ronald Mayhle; and two brothers.
Paul Sciullo III
Sciullo, 37, worked with computers before deciding to join the police bureau about two years ago. He grew up in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, home of the city’s Little Italy section, and played hockey and golf at Central Catholic High School.
Sciullo was the first officer who entered the home and was shot in the head.
Sciullo is survived by his parents, Paul and Julia Sciullo; two sisters; and his fiancee, Lisa Esposito.
AP
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