By Joe Mandak
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — An armed man who was locked out by angry housemates after he passed out while cooking and almost caused a fire was shot and killed early Tuesday by a police officer called to an ensuing disturbance, authorities said.
Other residents of the house told police that Paul Palmer was escorted out of the house after he lost consciousness at the stove.
Palmer, 31, then climbed onto a porch roof and broke a window to get back into the house, leading people inside to call police at about 12:15 a.m.
When officers arrived, Palmer was arguing with a resident on the second floor and had his hand in a backpack, police said in a statement. A police officer saw Palmer jump out of the upstairs window.
Officers outside saw Palmer with a gun in his hand, arguing and struggling with a female resident in the back yard.
An officer fired at least four shots when Palmer refused to drop the gun and aimed it at the officer, police said. Palmer was wounded in the head, chest and leg and died at Allegheny General Hospital minutes later.
Police Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said one resident told police Palmer had been drinking before passing out, but police are waiting for toxicology tests from his autopsy Tuesday to confirm that.
As standard procedure, the officer who shot him has been put on paid leave during the investigation the shooting.
Stangrecki said police were not aware Palmer had a weapon when they were called.
“It was kind of sketchy,” Stangrecki said. “The officers knew that someone had broken a window, but they didn’t know what was going on until they got on scene. There was no information a weapon was involved until they arrived.”