Gallo’s family: ‘They didn’t have to shoot him’
Observer-Reporter
In this file photo, Shirley Gray, right, talks about her grandson, Anthony Edward Gallo, who was fatally shot during an incident with state police in 2017.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Shirley Gray talks about her he grandson Anthony Edward Gallo who was fatally shot during the incident with State police on Sunday. At the GrayþÄôs home in Canton Township on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Shirley Gray the grandmother of Anthony Edward Gallo talks about what happen right before he was fatally shot during the incident with State police on Sunday. At the GrayþÄôs home in Canton Township on Monday, October 2, 2017.
In the days leading up to Anthony Edward Gallo’s death, family members were becoming increasingly worried about him.
“He kept saying, ‘I don’t want to die, Grams. I want to stay with you,” said Gallo’s maternal grandmother, Shirley Gray. “He asked about God and heaven and said, ‘I want to see my son two more times before I die.'”
Gallo, 34, was fatally shot by a state police trooper Sunday in the Canton Township mobile home park in which he was living with Gray.
According to state police, troopers responded to a report of a man threatening neighbors with a knife. Gallo was acting erratically and refused commands to drop the knife, police said.
But Gray, who said the family called police and an ambulance for help in getting Gallo into a psychiatric facility, said Gallo wouldn’t have hurt anyone.
“He didn’t get to see his son,” said Gray. “We told (officers) that he has mental-health issues. They didn’t have to shoot him.”
Gallo split his time between his mother’s house and Gray’s mobile home. He loved music, said Gray, and would spend time writing songs and fixing up an old motorcycle.
“He didn’t have a driver’s license, but he loved to drive,” said Gray.
Gray noticed changes in her grandson after a May 19 car accident in which he struck his head. He went to the hospital and had a battery of tests. Nothing was found, but Gray and other family members were convinced something was wrong.
“He wasn’t acting right,” said Gray.
When Gallo awoke Sunday morning, he was calm.
“He always got up and said, “Good morning, Grandma. I love you,” said Gray.
Over the next few hours, though, he became upset. Gray told her grandson she wanted to take him to the hospital to get help.
“He said, ‘OK. Can I watch the football game first?’ He didn’t get to watch,” said Gray.
Gray called her daughter, Gallo’s mother, who came over, along with Gallo’s cousin, Robert Lee Herring.
Gallo told Gray he was going to her bedroom to lie down.
“Everything was fine,” Gray said. “All of a sudden, he hollered for us all to come back to the bedroom. He said, ‘Count. Everybody count.’ So we counted with him.”
A man who has been staying with Gray was sitting in the living room. Gray said Gallo picked up a baseball bat and told the man to count.
“He wasn’t going to hit him,” said Gray. “He just wanted him to count.”
The man walked outside and Gallo went back to the bedroom, then ran outside. Gray said he was holding a “flimsy steak knife” and accidentally ran into her, knocking her over.
Officers arrived, and Gallo ran into a neighbor’s home, where the fatal confrontation with police occurred.
“He was a great kid. He wouldn’t have hurt nobody,” Gray said.
Herring said he was with Gallo in the neighbor’s home.
“I was in there with him. If he was going to hurt anyone, he would have hurt me,” Herring said. “If they would have just talked to him, he would have calmed down.”
Neighbor Linda Danley said the community is shocked by the incident.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in the 42 years I’ve lived here,” she said. “It’s just a shame that all of that happened.”