Pittsburgh officer and suspect injured in exchange of gunfire during fatal motel shooting investigation, police say
An officer and suspect were injured in an exchange of gunfire in Pittsburgh's East Hills neighborhood while detectives were investigating a fatal shooting at a motel in Robinson Township on Friday.
The Allegheny County Police Department said on Friday night that 38-year-old Stanley West faces a list of charges, including homicide, in connection with the fatal shooting.
According to Allegheny County police, around 2:30 p.m., detectives were looking for a man accused of shooting and killing a manager and injuring a woman at the Pittsburgh Motel on Steubenville Pike.
Police said city and county detectives tracked a U-Haul driven by the suspect to Wilner Drive in the East Hills. As they approached the vehicle, police said the suspect opened fire, hitting a Pittsburgh detective in the leg.
Detectives returned fire, hitting the suspect multiple times, police said. It's unknown how many officers fired or who struck the suspect, Allegheny County Superintendent Christopher Kearns said.
The officer was taken to a hospital with injuries that aren't believed to be life-threatening. West was also taken to a hospital and was last listed in critical condition, police said.
On Saturday morning, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police provided KDKA-TV with a statement.
"The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detective injured by gunfire during the critical incident in East Hills on Friday is resting comfortably at home with his family and with the full support of his fellow officers and the Bureau," said Martin Devine, acting chief. "The family asks for privacy at this time. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is grateful to the incredible care provided by the doctors and nurses at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and to all of our local law enforcement partners who work so hard to keep Allegheny County safe in the fight against violent crime."
Since officers were involved in the shooting, Pennsylvania State Police are leading an independent investigation.
Man killed, woman injured in Robinson Township motel shooting
Police said everything began around 1 p.m. on Friday when 911 received a call about a shooting at the Pittsburgh Motel. A man was found dead at the scene, and a woman who was found at a nearby business was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Kearns said the suspect shot his "female companion" after an argument in the parking lot. She ran for help, and Kearns said when the motel manager stepped out to see what was going on, the suspect shot and killed him.
An alert was put out for his U-Haul van, and detectives eventually found him in the East Hills.
Lemel Howell, who works at the hotel, told KDKA-TV he saw his boss lying on the ground after the shooting. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as 50-year-old Rakesh Ehagaban.
"I just came from the store and I laid down, I was playing with my daughter, and I just heard all these loud shots. I looked out the door and I seen my boss dead on the ground," Howell said.

