16°
Police shot and killed 17-year-old Darren Shaw of Lancaster on Aug. 6, according to the County Coroner's office.
Ten minutes after midnight, officers with the Lancaster Bureau of Police were called to a burglary in progress in the first block of West New Street, according to a release by the department.
The officers arrived and "spoke to the resident of the home, who indicated that the intruder was still inside the house," as stated in the release.
The 14-year-old boy inside the home climbed out of their bedroom window and waited on the roof until the incident was over, according to the DA Heather Adams.
"The intruder exited the house, confronted officers, and pointed a firearm at them," the police said.
The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office released the following statement on Monday evening:
"Darren Shaw, exited the house and pointed a semiautomatic firearm with an extended magazine at responding officers. The firearm, which was identified as a ‘ghost’ gun, was recovered at the scene. Officers announced verbal commands to Shaw then discharged their firearms, striking him. Additional responding officers performed life-saving measures on Shaw, who later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital."
The DA's office verified the officers telling of the situation by body-camera records from the police as well as security cameras at the residence.
The teen was taken to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital where he later died.
At 2:30 a.m., the Lancaster County Coroner's Office was called "for a patient who had been pronounced deceased," according to a release by the office.
A coroner arrived to find Shaw still in the operating room. "A physical assessment performed by the coroner investigator revealed firearm-related injuries," the coroner said. Shaw was taken to the Lancaster County Forensic Center for further investigation.
According to the autopsy, "Shaw was hit in his left front abdominal area, left hand, left lower thigh, right foot, and the back of his right knee. The Lancaster County Coroner has indicated that Shaw died from multiple gunshot wounds," as stated in the DA's release.
Three officers on the scene were involved in the incident and captured the shooting on body cameras, which showed Shaw positioning himself to shoot and aiming at the officers, according to the DA's release.
Two of the officers were interviewed by county detectives and described seeing the gun as soon as the suspect exited the door. "Both officers recognized that their life was in imminent danger and fired after the suspect failed to comply with the verbal commands given," as stated in the release.
One of the officers yelled “Hands! Hands!” to which and Shaw did not respond, instead he continued to attempt to flee along the side of the house — with the gun raised.
That's when the officers began to shoot. The Aug. 15 statement from the DA explained what happened next as follows:
"The Officers fire a total of nine rounds, six shots from a handgun and three shots from a rifle. Shaw then jumped over a fence in the back yard and continued to flee, traveling approximately 102 feet until he collapsed. Officers 1 and 2 do not chase the subject but remain in the backyard covering the rear door in the event there are additional suspects in the house. After it is determined to be safe to do so, other responding officers cautiously approach Shaw and begin to render aid."
The DA's office shared our condolences with the family, saying "This is a difficult time for them as they have experienced a life-altering event and try to understand the actions of their own family member and that of the police."
The officers are no longer on leave and will not face any criminal charges, according to the DA.
“It is beyond question that the officers’ beliefs that lethal force was necessary to defend themselves and each other was objectively reasonable and therefore, the use of force was justified under the law," DA Heather Adams said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Allentown and receive free news updates.
