A former Beaver County police officer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other offenses just as his trial was set to begin, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday.

John J. Hawk, 38, was charged after assaulting Kenneth E. Vinyard, 48, of Industry at the scene of a shooting outside a Walmart in Center on Nov. 6, 2022.

Hawk’s lawyer, Stephen Colafella, said his client was ready to be done with the case.

“This morning he just decided that that was enough,” Colafella told TribLive. “He just wanted closure for everyone”

Hawk could have faced prison time but was instead sentenced to five years of probation.

The AG’s office said there was no agreement about the sentence as part of the plea.

“This sworn officer’s actions contributed to the death of a man who was not a threat to anyone at the scene of the shooting,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “My team was fully prepared to try this case.”

Hawk also pleaded guilty to simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Authorities said Vinyard had been a bystander at the shooting and was approaching an officer at the scene about potential evidence when Hawk assaulted him.

Hawk, who was off-duty and out of uniform, confronted Vinyard and pulled him away from officials, according to authorities.

Later, Hawk struck Vinyard in the chest while performing a leg-sweep maneuver, knocking him to the ground and causing his head to hit the asphalt, prosecutors said.

Vinyard died upon arrival at a hospital.

An autopsy determined that Vinyard’s death was caused by blunt force trauma and “accompanying stress inflicted by Hawk,” according to the attorney general’s office.

Hawk was charged in December 2023 after a grand jury recommended charges.

Marcy Beatty, 60, of Industry, told TribLive she is relieved there won’t be a trial but is disappointed in Hawk’s sentence.

“We hoped for some jail time,” Beatty said. “We knew we wouldn’t get any.”

Beatty was at the scene of the shooting. She said Vinyard was trying to show officers a picture of the shooter’s license plate.

“If they would only have taken a minute to listen to him none of this would have happened,” she said.

On Tuesday, Hawk apologized to the family.

“It doesn’t bring Ken back. It never will,” Beatty said. “But it helps us to move on.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)