At least 75 Pittsburgh law enforcement officers fired thousands of shots at a barricaded gunman during a standoff of more than six hours that ended with the gunman's death. What started as an attempt by seven deputies to serve an eviction notice turned into a lengthy exchange of gunfire for which the dozens of officers who fired their weapons have been placed on leave, NBC reports. The suspect, William Hardison Sr., was found dead inside the residence. The suspended officers include 16 sheriff's deputies, 47 Pittsburgh police officers, and a dozen Allegheny County officers.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police said the large police response was in part due to the suspect opening fire in a densely populated area. "The incident started out as an eviction, yes, but quickly turned into an attempted homicide of law enforcement officers within seconds of them going through the door," Lt. Adam Reed said. "Generally speaking, an attempted homicide of law enforcement officers when the suspect is firing hundreds of rounds in a densely populated neighborhood will elicit a large enforcement response." Mike Manko, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said in an emailed statement, "We were aware of the actor's disdain for government when we went to serve the eviction notice which is why we had extra deputies on the detail." Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said in a news release that he would ensure employees and community members are "afforded all of the services they need to help process what they have witnessed."
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