Man pleads guilty to shooting ATF agent in Pittsburgh

A man who shot a federal agent as investigators arrived at his Uptown home to arrest him on drug charges pleaded guilty Friday.

Dion Williams, 46, pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal agent with a dangerous weapon, as well as to trafficking cocaine.

He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines on Oct. 27.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were investigating drug trafficking in the Hill District in 2019 and had court-ordered wire intercepts on two telephones between February and May 2020.

During that time, agents heard Williams talking about the purchase and redistribution of cocaine, the government said.

About 6 a.m. on June 18, 2020, an ATF Special Response Team arrived at Williams’ residence on Marion Street to serve both search and arrest warrants on Williams who was one of several people who had been indicted for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The team loudly and repeatedly announced themselves, including using a special response team vehicle through its public address system.

Then, an agent rammed open the door. The agent was shot by Williams through the shoulder but did not sustain any permanent injuries, officials said.

After the agent was shot, Williams apparently disassembled the firearm, the U.S. Attorney said, and hid its parts under basement steps and in a false ceiling on the second floor.

Several minutes after the shooting, Williams was taken into custody without further incident.

The underlying investigation was related to the drug-trafficking activity of the 11 Hunnit street gang, which resulted in multiple indictments. A 2018 indictment tied the gang and its members, which allegedly included rapper Jimmy Wopo, who was killed, to multiple homicides in Allegheny County.