PFA request details strife preceding fatal Pittsburgh police shooting in Brighton Heights

A Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot a man after he stabbed a different city officer Friday morning in the Brighton Heights neighborhood, according to Allegheny County Police.

The incident unfolded shortly before 6 a.m. as city officers arrived to serve an emergency protection-from-abuse order at a home in the 200 block of Carpenter Lane, said county police, who are investigating the fatal encounter.

When city police entered the home, investigators said, a man came forward and stabbed an officer with a knife. A second officer shot the man multiple times, killing him.

A police source confirmed the man who was shot was the same person identified in the emergency restraining order as Charles “Rick” Nesbitt, 63.

The officer who was stabbed was treated at the scene for minor wounds, according to police.

County investigators said the chain of events began when city police initially responded at 3:45 a.m. Friday for a domestic disturbance at the Carpenter Lane location.

Police escorted the person who called 911, the 73-year-old homeowner, to obtain the emergency restraining order at City Court before returning to serve the order.

According to the petition, the man wrote: “Rick is an active drug addict. He extorts money from me to pay his debts. Tonight he would not stop coming after me for money.

“We argued, and a lamp was broken, and I ran out. The 911 operator could hear him yelling.

“This is not the first time I filed. A PFA was granted during the last year but not completed at family court.

“I have asked Rick to move out. He refuses. He has no job, no car, and his SSA is wasted on drugs.

“I am afraid to go home.”

According to court records, the petitioner filed two landlord-tenant actions against Nesbitt last year, and the two also have a protection-from-abuse order listed in family court records dating to 2009.

In accordance with city police protocol, the officer who discharged the weapon will be placed on paid administrative leave while county police conduct the investigation.

County Police are responding to assist Pittsburgh Police with an officer-involved shooting investigation in the 200 block of Carpenter Lane in Brighton Heights. More information to follow. pic.twitter.com/mn8H7UP2yo

— Allegheny County PD (@AlleghenyCoPD) June 6, 2025

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the county police tip line, 1-833-255-8477.