Family, friends of Indiana County man fatally shot by police seek answers

An Indiana County man fatally shot by state police after a miles-long car chase was developmentally disabled and possibly suffering from mental illness, his mother and friends told the Tribune-Review on Friday.

John Vincent Dye, 51, of Homer City, “was a slow learner and I guess he had a little bit of a problem understanding things,” said his mother, Ruth Dye, 74, of Woodbury, Tenn., about 55 miles southeast of Nashville.

Ruth Dye said John was the second oldest of her four children. He never owned a gun and never had a permit to carry one, she said. Friends echoed that statement. That has left family and friends questioning why police fired at him.

“He didn’t like guns,” Ruth Dye said. “His dad taught him to hunt, but he didn’t like that, either.”

A state trooper, who authorities have not named, tried to pull over a vehicle driven by Dye shortly before midnight Sunday in Center Township, Indiana County, police said. Dye refused to stop and led police on a chase through Center and Homer City.

Troopers deployed spike strips on local roads, flattening at least two of Dye’s tires, police said.

The pursuit winded through Homer City slowly — at about 20 mph, said one friend who saw Dye drive through an alley near his home that night.

Police said they encountered Dye along Route 119 and fired at him from the southbound lanes of the road. It is unclear whether Dye was in his vehicle or on foot.

Dye died at the scene, police said. No troopers were injured.

“He was a good person, and he didn’t deserve that,” said Brittnie Harris, 32, of White Township, Indiana County, a friend who lived with Dye and his girlfriend briefly in March when she was going through a divorce. “I believe with all my heart that he wasn’t a physical threat to anyone — that night or ever.”

Indiana County Coroner Jerry L. Overman Jr. identified Dye on Sunday and conducted an autopsy.

On Thursday, Overman ruled that Dye died from gunshot wounds but said the manner of death was pending investigation. Toxicology results also were ordered.

After a family friend relayed the news of Dye’s death, Ruth Dye said she “cried for the first day and the first night. My eyelids were swollen, my eyes were bloodshot. Then I woke up and said, ‘No matter what you do, it’s not going to bring him back.’”

Hilary Krishnan — a longtime friend who Dye called “Sis” — described him as “a kind-hearted and loving soul” whose developmental and intellectual disabilities always were evident.

Dye had trouble reading and dropped out of school in the ninth grade, his mother said. He did lots of odd jobs for Krishnan’s family in the 1990s.

Krishnan said she believes Dye also suffered from untreated mental illness.

A third to half of all people killed in interactions with police have some kind of disability, according to a 2016 white paper by Ruderman Family Foundation, a disability rights group.

People with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians approached or stopped by law enforcement, a 2015 report from Treatment Advocacy Center concluded.

“I really believe at the bottom of my heart that John was incapable of hurting someone, even his worst enemy, and other people who’ve known him all say the same thing,” said Krishnan, 37, of New York City.

Krishnan works in advertising in New York but grew up in Indiana Borough. Her father teaches at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and she visits frequently.

Dye was born in Kansas on Oct. 28, 1971, and also lived in Michigan, his mother said.

It is unclear how long Dye had been living in Western Pennsylvania. A court document from 2010 lists Dye’s address as Indiana.

Dye had a criminal record.

In 2011, he pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault and a DUI in Indiana County Common Pleas Court, court records show. A judge sentenced him to 11 months to two years in prison for the sexual assault and 30 days to six months in prison for the DUI.

In 2016, Dye pleaded guilty to simple assault in Indiana County Common Pleas Court, court records show. A judge sentenced him to four months to one year, 11 months in prison.

Dye’s time in prison might have been a factor triggering the chase, Krishnan said.

“In that moment, he was scared of criminal charges,” she told the Trib. “He must have thought, ‘I’ll just keep driving. Maybe this will all just go away.’”

Police have not released details of the shooting.

In a statement issued Thursday, Indiana County District Attorney Robert F. Manzi defended authorities for being tight-lipped about the case.

“(We) are conducting a thorough investigation into all aspects of this event. The investigation includes conducting interviews with all potential witnesses, collecting video from various sources and reviewing phone records,” Manzi said. “We all understand that this is a serious event. It will be investigated with the utmost professionalism. That will take time.”

“Unfortunately, there are times during a major event in which incorrect or incomplete information is passed along by individuals without direct knowledge in the case,” Manzi added. “Incorrect or incomplete information only serves to further distress a very difficult situation.”

None of Dye’s family or friends who spoke with the Trib has been contacted or interviewed by police, they confirmed.

Trooper Cliff Greenfield, who works in the state police’s Indiana branch, declined earlier this week to answer how or where Dye was shot, citing the ongoing investigation.

“At this time, I’m not able to provide further detail on the actual encounter,” he said.

Under state police policy, the involved trooper or troopers who fired at Dye will remain on administrative duties while the incident is investigated, police said.

Three of Ruth Dye’s four children have died prematurely. Her daughter, Angela, then 17, died in a 1991 car wreck that crippled Ruth Dye, leading to years of rehabilitation. Her son William, or “Bobby,” died as a result of a drug-related incident two years ago.

Paul Dye, who lives in Tennessee, is the only son left, Ruth Dye said.

Krishnan has started a GoFundMe page for Dye’s family. She had raised about $750 of a $2,100 goal by early Friday afternoon to pay for Dye’s cremation, legal fees and the cost of paperwork. Ruth Dye said the Indiana County coroner is charging her $700 for records related to Dye’s autopsy.

Krishnan questions if police used excessive force when confronting Dye.

“I’m just waiting, like everyone else, to see what (police) put out,” she said. “I just hope this doesn’t get swept under the rug.”