Warrant issued for New Florence man acquitted in 2015 police officer killing

A Westmoreland County judge issued an arrest warrant Friday for a New Florence man who was acquitted in the 2015 killing of a St. Clair Township police officer.

Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik- DeFazio signed the paperwork for the arrest of Ray A. Shetler Jr., 37, after he failed to appear for a court hearing. Prosecutors contend he violated terms of his probation sentence for theft and receiving stolen property convictions related to the homicide case.

Following a six-day trial in 2018, jurors found Shetler not guilty of first- and third-degree murder for the Nov. 28, 2015, shooting death of officer Lloyd Reed, 54, of Hollsopple, Somerset County, as he responded to a domestic violence call.

Ray Allen SHETLER Jr, 37YOA is wanted for probation violations.

He is known to frequent the Derry and New Florence area.

Possibly operating the below vehicle. Do not approach just notify police of his whereabouts. 724-832-3288 or 911. pic.twitter.com/YBT3Lvh5pC

— Troopers Steve Limani & Cliff Greenfield (@PSPTroopAPIO) December 4, 2021

Reed, a part-time officer, was first on the scene at Shetler’s Ligonier Street home in neighboring New Florence after his live-in girlfriend called 911 for help. Witnesses said Reed came upon Shetler, who was holding a rifle, and demanded that he drop the weapon. Shetler refused to comply, and Reed fired six times.

Shetler fired three rounds from the rifle, one of which struck Reed under his left arm and just beyond his bulletproof vest.

The defense maintained throughout the trial that Shetler did not know the armed man in his front yard was a police officer.

Witnesses said Shetler fled after the shooting, swimming across the nearby Conemaugh River and dumping some clothing and the rifle in a ditch on a power plant’s property. He was arrested after a six-hour manhunt.

The prosecution said they would have sought the death penalty had Shetler been convicted of first-degree murder.

The jury found him guilty of two theft counts for stealing a vehicle during his getaway. He was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail and five years’ probation.

County probation Officer Skylar Piper in court Friday said Shetler refused to attend his probation revocation hearing.

“I called him to ask where he was living, and he woundn’t tell and won’t come in,” Piper said.

She told the judge that at least two neighbors claimed they were threatened by Shetler and that his mother will no longer allow him to live in her New Florence home. Piper said Shetler last reported to the probation office in August, when he tested positive for having methamphetamine in his system.

Shetler’s defense attorney, Marc Daffner, was not in court Friday. When contacted later, he said he had not heard from Shetler in several years.

“This is his problem to deal with,” Daffner said of the warrant.

Bilik-DeFazio presided over Shetler’s trial in February 2018 and imposed the jail and probation sentence for the theft convictions. She ordered Shetler be taken into custody once he is located.