Lt. Governor Nominee's Wife Praises Teen Killed By Cop

PITTSBURGH, PA - The 17-year-old shot to death by suburban East Pittsburgh police after fleeing from a traffic stop Tuesday has been identified as Antwon Rose, a Woodland Hills High School student. He was a volunteer at an organization that redistributes donated goods to the needy, according to Gisele Fetterman, the wife of Democratic Pennsylvania lieutenant governor nominee and Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.

The officer who fired the shots that killed the teen has been placed on administrative leave, Allegheny County police superintendent Coleman McDonough said Wednesday.

Rose was shot while running from police who stopped the car in which he was a passenger because it matched the description of one that sped away from an earlier shooting in nearby North Braddock. A 22-year-old man was treated and released for an abdominal wound after being hit by one of nine .40 caliber rounds fired at him, McDonough said.

Rose was shot while police were handcuffing the driver of the vehicle who later was released from custody. Another person who was fleeing along with Rose escaped and remains at large. Police recovered two firearms from the vehicle.

A Facebook video appears to capture East Pittsburgh police firing shots at the two individuals who fled the vehicle.

County homicide detectives are continuing the investigation and working closely with the county District Attorney’s Office, McDonough said.

Gisele Fetterman stated on Facebook that she knew Rose. She posted a 2015 message from Rose in which he inquired about volunteering at the Braddock Free Store 15104, which receives surplus and donated items and redistributes them for free to people in need.

Fetterman posted that Rose was planning to volunteer at the Free Store again this summer.

“His life was just starting,” Fetterman stated. “He was part of a wonderful family and he was so loved by so many and he didn’t deserve this.”

In a statement on the shooting, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said, "This is a devastating situation and I am saddened for Antwon Rose and his family. While Tuesday's shooting was not within the city's official borders it impacts all of us in the Pittsburgh region, and particularly those in the African American community.”

East Pittsburgh is a suburban borough of about 2,000 residents approximately 15 minutes outside of Pittsburgh.

Anyone with information or video of any portion of the incident is asked to contact county police. Callers to the ACPD Tip Line can remain anonymous – the number is 833-ALLTIPS (833.255.8477). The department can also be reached via its social media sites.

Image via Shutterstock.

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