Police Shoot Oklahoma Man After Struggle For Officer's Weapon

An Oklahoma man tussled for an officer’s gun before police shot him four times Monday night inside a borough home.

Allegheny County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said the County Medical Examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy to see which officer fired the fatal shot that killed Robert Brooks, 27, during a struggle for an officer’s weapon.

According to the medical examiner's office, Robert Brooks was pronounced dead at 12:14 a.m. in Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital.

Just days prior, police said Brooks had been lodged in the Allegheny County Jail on a warrant for threatening his cousin Chad Brooks and ex-wife Sarah Brooks. 

Moffatt said it all started in 2002 when Brooks, at 17 years old, moved from a small town outside of Winchester, OK to live with his cousin Chad Brooks and his wife Sarah in the Pittsburgh area. Brooks attended Allderdice High School before the family eventually moved to the Sewickley area. He later graduated from Avonworth High School and attended the University of Pittsburgh for a brief period, but dropped out.

Brooks joined the U.S. Army in 2006 and trained for five years as an Army Ranger, participating in several combat tours before being honorably discharged in 2011. He moved back to the Sewickley area and moved in with Chad and Sarah. 

Sometime shortly after in November 2012, Chad Brooks moved out of the home and Robert Brooks continued living with Sarah in the house.  Moffatt said Robert started making threats against Chad, who got a protection-from-abuse order from him in January. 

Moffatt said Robert grew angry and started making threats against Chad, who feared for his safety and his three children, and filed a protection-from-abuse order against his cousin in January. 

Moffatt said he then turned his anger onto Sarah with both verbal and physical abuse. Moffatt said Robert spoke of suicide either by police officer, or by returning to combat duty so that he could be on tour.

Moffatt said he joined the Pennsylvania National Guard and went to Fort Indiantown Gap, but continued harassing both Chad and Sarah Brooks, sending the two upward of 100 text messages a day.

Some of the messages read, "Either you forgive me or I do what I have to do," and "All is fair in love and war, if your not with me you are against me."

Both went June 24 to Sewickley police, who in turn issued arrest warrants for Brooks on charges of making terroristic threats and violating his PFA. Sarah also filed a temporary PFA against him the same day, according to court documents

Moffatt said Robert Brooks was served the Sewickley warrants while serving jail time in Lebanon County on unrelated charges of assaulting someone. 

Robert was transferred to Allegheny County Jail and incarcerated in Pittsburgh, until he posted $500, or 10 percent of the $5,000 bond. Moffatt said he was released on Saturday, July 6.

At 3 a.m. on Monday, July 8, Moffatt said Sarah was at her Thorn Street home alone when she heard a noise that woke her up. She hadn’t set her alarm, assuming Robert Brooks was still in jail. Moffatt said she went down the steps and saw Robert coming upstairs. Police believe he had a key to get in. 

Moffatt said she felt she could talk to Robert and reason with him. They spoke for 45 minutes to an hour before she convinced him to take a walk at4 a.m., he said. 

They walked for a short period before she tried to break away and was tackled to the ground by Robert Brooks, beaten and taken back to the house. She again convinced him to sit and talk, before talking him into taking another walk. 

At one point police said she again tried to get away and was tackled to the ground and beaten. This time, Moffatt said a passing motorist witnessed what was happening, called 911, flashed his lights and beeped his horn.

Police said Robert Brooks ran from the area and Sewickley police took Sarah home to reset her alarm and then to a safe hotel.

At about 9 p.m. Monday night, police said the alarm company notified Sarah that an intruder was inside her home.  The company called the 911 Center and Sarah called Sewickley police.

Sewickley police responded first and called Allegheny County police to assist. The officers entered the house not knowing if Robert was inside. They went onto the second floor and discovered him hiding on a 7-foot-tall bed with a desk underneath.

“They tried to convince Robert to come out of the bed. He wouldn’t come out,” Moffatt said.

Police used a Taser on Robert, but Moffatt said he was somehow able to pull the prongs from his body. Officers then grabbed Robert and pulled him down from the bed. 

One of the officers had a long gun slung behind on his back and Moffatt said Robert tussled with the officer for the gun, trying to point it at the other five to six officers in the small bedroom.

“At that time the officers feared for their safety and the safety of other officers,” Moffatt said.

Moffatt said Sewickley and Allegheny County police fired shots that struck Robert approximately four times. All the officers involved are on administrative leave. 

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