Officials mum after Munhall police shoot man in holding cell during scuffle

Munhall officials remained tight-lipped Monday after a borough police officer shot and wounded a 38-year-old man overnight during a scuffle inside a holding cell in the municipal building.

“There’s not a lot I can say right now,” Munhall Mayor Rob Falce told TribLive. “It’s been turned over to county investigators.”

The Allegheny County Police Department, which is investigating the incident, said the shooting occurred when two officers entered the holding cell after seeing the man, who had been arrested about an hour earlier, try to cover a camera in his cell.

County police said the man ignored the officers’ commands to stop, and he began fighting with them.

The officers “deployed” their Tasers but the man “continued to engage with the officers,” according to a county police statement, which did not provide more detail.

One of the officers shot the man multiple times in the torso, the county said. He was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Neither officer was hurt.

County police did not name the victim or identify the officers involved.

TribLive reported last year that police departments often shield the names of officers who shoot people.

Many issues remain unclear about the incident, including why officers entered the holding cell, why they felt it was urgent to prevent the man from covering the camera, what Munhall police protocols are for monitoring arrestees and why the officers’ Tasers were ineffective.

Falce said Monday morning that he had not yet reviewed footage from the officers’ body cameras. He said the shooting took place in a police department room with a door, not a conventional jail cell with bars.

He declined further comment.

Arrest after domestic dispute

Rick Brennan, who is listed on the borough website as Munhall council president, did not return a phone call seeking comment. Allegheny County Councilman Robert Macey, who represents Munhall on the countywide governing body, also did not return calls seeking comment.

Munhall Borough Manager David Tye referred questions to police Chief Thomas Fullard, who did not respond Monday to phone calls, emails or an in-person visit to the municipal building.

Fullard was on vacation Monday, the borough manager said.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office declined comment. The Independent Police Review Board, which Allegheny County Council established in 2021, also did not respond to an email seeking comment.

That board reviews misconduct allegations against Allegheny County Police, its website said. It was unclear Monday if the nine-member board had oversight of Munhall.

Tye said he couldn’t confirm if Munhall police had a policy governing holding cells. He also said he did not know how many police officers were working at the time of the shooting.

Munhall police arrested the unidentified man following a domestic dispute in the 100 block of East 18th Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, county police said.

Officers took him to the Munhall police department inside the municipal building on Raymond Bodnar Way. He was placed in the holding cell for processing.

Munhall administrators moved into the renovated building about three years ago, officials said.

County police said officers saw the man trying to cover the camera in the cell around 12:39 a.m. Monday. A county police spokesman told TribLive that he was aware of only one camera inside the cell.

Munhall police do not appear on a list of agencies accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, whose program guidelines address holding-cell policies.

More than 375 agencies statewide enrolled for that group’s accreditation program when it was launched in 2001, the agency said on its website. Nearly 185 agencies — among them are 14 police departments in Allegheny County, including Pittsburgh, Castle Shannon, Moon and Mt. Lebanon — maintain accredited status.

The accreditation program’s 74-page manual includes guidelines about police departments’ “cell areas” and “temporary holding area,” as well as topics ranging from use of force and patrol to internal affairs.

Officers assigned to monitors cells “must be trained” in procedures related to fire, safety, first aid and emergency responses to incidents in the facility, the manual said.

Those guidelines also say personnel must observe detainees — by physical or electronic means — at least every 30 minutes.

Pittsburgh police guidelines, by comparison, require an officer to observe a detainee in a holding cell at least once every 10 minutes.

The police chiefs association did not respond Monday to emails or phone calls seeking comment.

Justin Vellucci and Julia Burdelski are TribLive staff writers. Justin can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com. Julia can be reached at jburdelski@triblive.com.