Police officers in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, cleared after fatally shooting man, DA says
Police officers in Abington Township were cleared of their use of force after fatally shooting a man inside an apartment complex last month, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced Monday.
Steele identified the man who was shot and killed by officers as Wyleek Tinsley.
Police officers were dispatched just after 11 a.m. on March 6 to the Rosemore Garden Apartments in the Glenside section of Abington Township, according to Steele.
Tinsley, who lived at the apartment, was there with his girlfriend and her child. The girlfriend's child called 911 and told dispatch that Tinsley shot a gun at her mother, but she wasn't sure if she was hurt. She also told dispatch that a door inside the apartment was broken down, and that she was worried she would be shot by Tinsley, according to Steele. The child then left the apartment.
Steele said police arrived at the apartment complex at 11:16 a.m. and heard a woman screaming after entering the building. About 10 minutes later, Steele said that a gunshot was heard from inside the apartment.
After hearing the gunshot, police forcefully entered the apartment, fearing the woman inside with Tinsley had been shot or harmed. According to Steele, Tinsley was at the end of a dark hallway and holding an object as officers fired their weapons. The object was later determined to be a cellphone, Steele said.
The woman inside the apartment was found in a bedroom unharmed. Tinsley was taken to a nearby hospital after the shooting, where he was pronounced dead, officials said in March.
Steele said that officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson 30 Super Carry firearm in the bedroom of the apartment. The firearm had Tinsley's DNA on it, according to Steele. Two fired cartridge casings were recovered from the bedroom floor, the DA said. One was recovered from the living room cabinet, and two bullet holes were found in the bedroom walls.
The investigation of the shooting was conducted by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau. It included interviewing police officers, witnesses, reviewing body cameras worn by police, radio transmissions and more, according to Steele.
