Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli deemed the use of force justified in a February officer-involved shooting at a home in Lower Burrell.
The gunfire exchange between officers and Jordan Lindner happened on Feb. 14 after, police say, he shot into a home on Rodgers Drive and then at officers during a SWAT standoff at his neighboring residence.
Lindner, 29, is charged with two counts of attempted homicide, two counts of assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
When police arrived, Lindner exited the home and yelled for officers to “just shoot him,” according to a Lower Burrell Police statement from the night of the incident.
After he went back inside, officers got an arrest warrant related to the shots fired into the neighboring house.
A SWAT team then breached Lindner’s home through the front door and a window, giving them a view inside, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said Lindner appeared to be pointing a silver revolver to his own chin.
After officers told him through a PA system to drop the gun, he pointed it at officers and fired once, according to the complaint.
The SWAT commander then used gas as a “non-lethal way to try to get Lindner to surrender,” the complaint said.
Lindner then fired a shot from the front window of the house at SWAT officers outside, who returned fire, striking Lindner at least once.
Lindner was taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m. and flown to a Pittsburgh hospital.
No officers were hurt during the incident.
A news release from the district attorney’s office cited the Pennsylvania Crimes Code as part of its ruling that the shooting was justified.
It says a law enforcement officer is “justified in using deadly force only when he believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury to himself or such other person.”
A preliminary hearing for Lindner has not been scheduled as he continues to recover from his wounds.
