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DA will seek death penalty for man accused of killing Pittsburgh Officer Calvin Hall

Tom Davidson
| Tuesday, August 27, 2019 10:11 a.m.
Christian Bey

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing Pittsburgh police Officer Calvin Hall.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala announced Tuesday his office charged Christian Bey, 30, of Wilkinsburg with homicide and three firearms violations in connection with the July shooting.

Bey has been in custody since July 22, the day before Hall’s funeral, but the complaint charging him was sealed. Police requested it be placed under seal because early disclosure of its contents could impact the investigation, they wrote in the criminal complaint.

It was unsealed Tuesday.

Hall, 36, died July 17, three days after he was shot on Monticello Street in Homewood. He was off-duty when he was shot but police officials have said he was acting as a police officer at the time.

Four witnesses cooperated in the police investigation that led to the charges against Bey, according to the criminal complaint. Those witnesses were not identified.

One witness told police Bey was seen pacing between two houses and then ran down a small grade and fired at Hall at close range, according to the complaint.

The witnesses told police that Hall had been at a block party on July 13 that lasted into the early hours of July 14 on Monticello Street.

When Hall tried to leave, a woman identified in a criminal complaint as Stacy Gibson tried to stop him. She was drunk and sat down in the middle of the street to block Hall’s exit, according to the complaint.

Hall got out of his vehicle and moved her from the street. Hall was seen arguing with Bey before Hall left, according to the complaint.

Hall left but was called by one of the witnesses to come back to help. The witness was in a situation involving Gibson, Crystal Roberson, Damika Williams and Jasmine Bey, according to the complaint. Roberson is Christian Bey’s mother, the complaint noted. The complaint does not say whether Jasmine Bey is related to Christian Bey.

No charges have been filed against Gibson, Roberson, Williams and Jasmine Bey in connection to Hall’s death, according to court records.

Two other witnesses told police they saw Hall ask the women what was going on, and there was an argument among them, according to the complaint. Hall walked away, then came back and tried to apologize to the women. Another unnamed witness intervened, and Hall was shot, according to the complaint.

Hall was shot at 1:34 a.m., according to the ShotSpotter notification police received.

Bey was identified by the witnesses as the man who fired the shots. He was identified by a distinct limp that matched the gait of a man captured on city cameras on Brushton Avenue near the scene, and witnesses identified him through photos, according to the complaint.

Police also recovered a .45-caliber handgun with obliterated serial numbers they believe was used by Bey to shoot Hall. The gun was found in the yard of a vacant house on Fletcher Way, an alley a half block from the shooting scene, according to the complaint. It was cocked with a round in the chamber. Ballistics tests showed it matched the shell casings recovered at the scene, according to the complaint.

Another witness told police Bey was the only person in the street after the shooting, and he was seen hustling away. The witness saw Bey with a large, .45-caliber firearm on New Year’s Eve, according to the complaint.

On Tuesday, Zappala filed a notice he intends to seek the death penalty because Hall was a police officer who was killed while performing his duties or because of his position, and because the killing happened while Bey was committing a felony — the firearms violations are felony charges — and the killing put others in grave danger.

Zappala declined further comment.

Correction: An earlier version incorrectly identified the witness who called Hall back to the scene.


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