At least one person in a group of five or six people opened fire on undercover police officers Tuesday night in New Kensington, just a couple of blocks from where a city officer was shot and killed more than two years ago, according to Westmoreland County detectives.
County detectives said plainclothes officers in a surveillance vehicle were fired upon around 7:20 p.m. in the 1200 block of Kenneth Avenue.
No one was injured in the shooting, which drew responding officers from New Kensington and surrounding communities.
Westmoreland County Detective John Clark said the vehicle fired upon is used in undercover operations, but he declined to provide any details about the nature of the investigation or whether the shooting suspects were the targets of the investigation.
Police blocked off portions of the surrounding area near Westmoreland County Community College’s New Kensington campus. The area remained an active scene with a large police presence past 11 p.m.
The community college campus on Fifth Avenue was locked down. Students attending night classes were escorted to their vehicles and allowed to leave the area, according to alerts sent out by the college.
The shooting happened just two blocks from where New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw was shot and killed Nov. 17, 2017, following a traffic stop in the 1200 block of Leishman Avenue. A Westmoreland County jury late last year convicted Rahmael Holt, now 31, of killing Shaw and sentenced him to death.
County detectives said Wednesday the investigation was ongoing but did not provide further information about the investigation or suspects.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MikeJdiVittorio.Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@tribweb.com or via Twitter @NewsNatasha.
