Blawnox man — off-duty officer — slain in apparent road rage incident remembered for desire to serve

The only thing Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich ever dreamed about while growing up was becoming a Marine and a police officer.

So it was no surprise to his parents when the Fox Chapel Area High School student joined the military after graduating in 2017.

“It’s all he talked about while growing up,” said Stipetich’s father, Charles Stipetich Sr. “He joined the Marines right out of high school, and, when he got out in November, he was in the police academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania by January. He was very committed to following through with all the things he set out to do.”

Stipetich’s mother, Deena, said her son decided on the Marine Corps after reading a book about the military branch while in grade school at O’Hara Elementary.

“He got a book from the school library about the Marines and felt that they were the best, so that’s what he wanted to be,” she said. “He loved the Marines and the opportunities it gave him to travel to Norway and Japan. But, most of all, he loved the opportunity to serve. That’s all he really ever cared about. That’s why he joined the Marines and became a police officer. He wanted to help others and serve his community.”

Stipetich was an elected constable in Blawnox, a position he sought because it “was another way he could do something for the community,” his mother said.

On Sunday, just weeks after joining the Oakdale police department as a part-time officer, Stipetich, 23, was shot to death during an apparent road rage incident outside his family’s home in the 400 block of Fountain Street in Blawnox, according to Allegheny County police.

Stipetich was off duty and driving along Route 28 after spending the evening fishing in Sharpsburg with his younger brother, Brandon, 20, according to family members. Stipetich lived at the home with his parents, brother and sister Isabella, 17.

Police said Kevin McSwiggen, 40, of Pittsburgh followed Stipetich home and then got into an argument with him and his father.

Police said they responded about 10:35 p.m. when they heard two gunshots. Stipetich’s father waved officers down and told them his son had been shot, according to a criminal complaint. Officers found the younger Stipetich in the road bleeding from a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he died.

McSwiggen is charged with criminal homicide and two counts of recklessly endangering another person, according to court documents.

Responding officers said they found McSwiggen sitting in a Ford pickup parked in the middle of Fountain Street suffering from a gunshot wound to his left bicep and armpit. Officers said he had a handgun in his possession.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint charging McSwiggen that, while first responders were preparing to take him to the hospital for treatment, he told police he was involved in a road rage incident on Route 28 and “that the guy cut him off” so he followed him to Fountain Street, according to the complaint.

The elder Stipetich said his son called him from the road about 10:19 p.m. to tell him someone was following him. When his son called back at 10:23 p.m., he told his father that he was in front of the house and needed help.

Stipetich’s father ran outside barefoot and found his son arguing with McSwiggen, who allegedly said: “I’ll (expletive) kill you” to his son.

In video from a camera mounted on the dash of McSwiggen’s truck, Stipetich is seen getting out of his car and walking toward his house when he is approached by McSwiggen, according to the criminal complaint.

The men begin to argue, and Stipetich repeatedly tells McSwiggen to leave. Stipetich’s father then appears in the video and is seen getting between the men. The three men move out of the frame, and a gunshot can be heard.

Stipetich’s father and McSwiggen are wrestling when they appeared back in the frame. Stipetich walks back into the frame and lifts up his shirt, apparently checking his wound.

When McSwiggen points his gun at Stipetich’s father, Stipetich pulls a gun from his waistband and shoots McSwiggen, according to the video referenced in court papers.

When McSwiggen moves out of the frame, the younger Stipetich can be seen falling to the ground.

“I came running down the stairs and they were arguing,” Stipetich’s father said. “I told the guy that Chuckie was a police officer and to stop before he got arrested. But he reached for a weapon.”

The elder Stipetich said he grabbed hold of McSwiggen to try to control him “but he wiggled away from me. When Chuckie grabbed hold of the guy, he shot him.”

“Chuckie was screaming, ‘Dad I’m shot, Dad I’m shot,’ and then he collapsed,” Stipetich said. “When the guy pointed the gun at me, Chuckie shot him. My son took a bullet for me that day. It should have been me. He’s my hero.”

Stipetich’s parents said they both saw McSwiggen shoot their son.

McSwiggen was arrested earlier this year for trying to force his way into a school building in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

He was initially charged April 4 with aggravated assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct. A judge withdrew all charges at McSwiggen’s preliminary arraignment the next day. He was instead charged with a summary count of disorderly conduct.

He pleaded guilty to the summary citation a week later and paid a $50 fine, court records show.

According to the criminal complaint filed after the April altercation, McSwiggen went to the Pittsburgh Public Schools administrative building and asked to see the superintendent, though he did not have an appointment.

Police said McSwiggen became aggravated and aggressive when he was told he couldn’t see the superintendent. Officers asked him to leave “five to six times” after he became loud and disgruntled, writing that McSwiggen “caused a major inconvenience.”

Officers said he was “yelling at the top of his lungs,” according to the complaint, and tried to resist as they attempted to escort him from the building. One officer suffered a wrist injury in the scuffle.

McSwiggen previously was banned from Greenfield Elementary School for “causing issues,” police said.

A gofundme.com page has been set up to assist the Stipetich family with expenses.

Funeral services for Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich are being handled by Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home in Blawnox.