Pittsburgh officers appear before grand jury investigating death of man tased by police

Three Pittsburgh police officers and a former one appeared Thursday morning before an Allegheny County investigating grand jury hearing evidence related to the death of a homeless man who had been tased multiple times by police in October.

The panel, which sits at the Dormont municipal building, is hearing evidence about the Oct. 13 incident on Bloomfield’s Harriet Street. Jim Rogers, a 54-year-old Black man, died less than 24 hours later.

The officers and their attorneys arrived before 8:30 a.m. and left without making comment two hours later.

“Matters before the grand jury are private and protected and therefore comments are inappropriate,” said defense attorney Robert Del Greco, who represents Officer Greg Boss, as they left the building.

The other officers who appeared on Thursday included: Keith Edmonds, who was represented by defense attorney Michael Machen; Pat DeSaro, represented by attorney Lee Rothman; and now-retired Lt. Matt Gauntner, represented by attorney Tina Miller.

Additional officers are subpoenaed to appear next month.

It is unknown whether the officers testified or if they chose to invoke their rights under the Fifth Amendment to remain silent to protect against self-incrimination.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. chose to use the investigating grand jury earlier this month following a ruling by the medical examiner’s office that Rogers’ manner of death was accidental. The cause of death was determined to a lack of oxygen to Rogers’ brain.

Police received a call about a possibly stolen bicycle on the morning of Oct. 13, and Edmonds responded. Edmonds said that Rogers resisted and he used his taser to subdue Rogers and take him into custody.

An executive summary of the incident by the Pittsburgh police Critical Incident Review Board that was obtained by the Tribune-Review said Edmonds stunned Rogers with the taser at least eight times over a period of 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

The report said Boss and DeSaro were the next officers to arrive at the scene and they handcuffed Rogers. Gauntner, who retired in December, arrived on the scene after that.

Once in custody, Rogers sat in the back of a patrol car for at least 17 minutes. During that time, the review said that Rogers asked for help at least 13 times.

“‘I need a hospital, I can’t breathe, get a medic, help me,’” he said repeatedly.

Although medics were called to the scene to decontaminate officers who had gotten Rogers’ blood on them, Rogers never received medical attention, the summary said.

Rogers became unresponsive on the way to UPMC Mercy hospital, according to the report. He died there the next day.

The report said showed that eight officers, including two supervisors and another who retired, violated department policy that day.

It said the incident “resulted from a series of compounding performance failures” by Pittsburgh police.

Disciplinary action has begun for the officers involved and is working its way through the process spelled out in the department’s contract through the Fraternal Order of Police.