North Versailles officer recovering after being shot; suspect jailed without bond
A North Versailles police officer is recovering from gunshot wounds, and the man accused of shooting the officer Friday morning is in the Allegheny County Jail.
The officer was treated and released from an area hospital after the shooting, police said. The officer was shot once in the face and once in the hand while responding to reports of shots fired in a domestic disturbance in North Versailles, according to court documents.
The suspect, Ian Lamont Fields, 46, of Pittsburgh, was not allowed to possess a gun because of a past burglary conviction, according to Allegheny County Police, who were called to assist and are leading the resulting investigation.
County police said a companion of Fields who lives in an apartment on Arlington Avenue called 911 shortly after 3:30 a.m. to report hearing two shots fired in an adjacent alley after Fields left the apartment during a dispute. Fields entered the apartment and began collecting his belongings, including a pistol, after the pair earlier argued and Fields jumped out of their car as they were driving home, court documents indicate.
The sound of breaking glass in a common area preceded Fields’ arrival at the apartment, and, before he left, he said he was going to damage the car, the companion told police.
When four North Versailles officers arrived on the scene, Fields refused to obey their commands, investigators said. After police failed to take him into custody with a Taser, he turned and fired shots at the officers, wounding one of them, according to police.
When the officers returned fire, Fields fled on foot toward Delaware Avenue. Tracing a blood trail, police found him in the vicinity with two gunshot wounds to his leg and took him into custody, according to court papers.
During their pursuit, police said, they recovered a .40-caliber Glock pistol that had been reported stolen in March 2011.
As he was being taken by ambulance to a hospital, Fields told an accompanying officer, “I’m sorry to my girlfriend and you guys for this,” according to court papers.
More than a a dozen police departments responded to the shooting. and police searched a nearby wooded area for several hours before the suspect was taken into custody, according to Allegheny County Police Chief Christopher Kearns.
“It’s difficult for the officers in the department, it’s difficult for the detectives who are investigating,” Kearns said of responding to a shooting involving a fellow officer.
Fields is charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and assault of a law enforcement officer, in addition to evading arrest, trespass, criminal mischief, receiving stolen property and a firearms violation.
He was arraigned before District Judge Craig Stephens and was jailed after being denied bail. He faces a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
ONLY ON 4 | After roughly five hours of searching, police have suspect in custody. Police say he fired shots at officers, injuring a N. Versailles Officer this morning. Officer is in good condition, per @AlleghenyCoPD. @WTAE pic.twitter.com/3XM9Qzg9hI
— Tori Yorgey WTAE (@toriyorgeytv) November 24, 2023
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the county police tip line, 1-833-ALL-TIPS (255-8477). Callers can remain anonymous.
Staff writer Jeff Himler contributed to this report.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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