Review board questions actions of police in woman's hit-and-run death on West End Bridge

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There are questions about whether police should have done more before a woman was hit and killed by a driver on the West End Bridge last month. Minutes before the victim, 44-year-old Faye McCoy of Homestead, was hit, officers were talking with her about getting to safety but after denying them several times, allegedly they left.

McCoy was allegedly hit and killed by a driver who police are still looking for. The question the police review board wants to know is why hasn't the city's co-response team moved to 24/7, which could have changed this outcome.

According to Pittsburgh police, it was around 3 a.m. on Jan. 27 when officers responded to a car into a median in the West End Circle. McCoy was the passenger in that car.

Officers found the driver Nakila Crawford-Creighten and McCoy allegedly had alcohol in their system. They took Crawford-Creighten into custody and tried to get McCoy to somewhere safer but allegedly denied their help.

"She's left in the middle of traffic in the West End, the West End Bridge. That whole area is very dangerous, treacherous area for anybody on foot, and she was left stranded there," Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board executive director Beth Pittinger said.

Minutes later, she was allegedly hit by a car, thrown over the side of the bridge, and hit the pavement below on the North Side. Her body was found later that morning. The Citizen Police Review Board wants to know why the city's Office of Community Health and Safety's co-response team hasn't been expanded beyond the pilot program. Pittinger said they would have been useful in a situation like this.

"We can't say we have this wonderful opportunity to intervene and avoid police intervention when we don't make it available when needed," Pittinger said.

Currently, the team is only in Zone 1 and 2 during daylight. This situation unfolded at night in Zone 6.

"You don't have a crisis in one geographic area during certain hours of the day. Twenty-four-seven is a necessity," Pittinger said.

The city's Department of Public Safety says they are working to expand, but don't have a timeline yet. It will be out of the pilot stage in Zones 1 and 2 by March.

"When do we stop piloting it and when do we implement and deploy it as a reliable community service to the public?" Pittinger said.

KDKA-TV reached out to the mayor's office on this matter but was redirected to Public Safety. The department added the Office of Community Health and Safety social workers with the trauma assistance program have been helping those impacted by the situation.