DA blasts findings from coroner’s inquest into fatal police shooting
Last Friday, Mt. Pleasant Township police Officer Tyler Evans received an award for valor from a Pittsburgh civic organization for his actions in shooting and killing a fleeing suspect following a lengthy police pursuit through Washington County.
Less than a week later, county Coroner Tim Warco recommended that Evans be held “criminally liable” and face an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with the April 2 shooting in Washington that killed 38-year-old Eduardo Lee Hoover.
In his findings following a coroner’s inquest this past week, Warco determined Evans gave contradictory statements about what transpired compared to what police video showed of the incident. Warco also recommended that charges be filed by District Attorney Jason Walsh, who determined in May that the shooting was justified.
Walsh blasted that suggestion and Warco’s findings during a tense press conference Friday morning in which he stood by his original decision and questioned the coroner’s motivation. Walsh said Warco “presented what he calls ‘evidence’ to himself in a conference room” for the inquest, and found no new facts about the case that would justify charges against Evans.
“The coroner’s intentions with his inquest are clear, considering this is his first inquest, as I stated, in a very long time,” Walsh said, noting it’s been nearly seven year’s since Warco’s last inquest. “He cherry-picked only select evidence with a pre-conceived narrative, all for show.”
Walsh questioned why Warco convened the inquest nearly seven months after the shooting and six months after the district attorney said it was justified.
“I don’t have the time, nor the inclination to participate in the coroner’s theatrical nonsense meant for television cameras and political operatives,” Walsh said during his press conference.
Walsh walked through the timeline of events leading up to the shooting in which Hoover sped recklessly from Burgettstown south on Route 18 into Washington as Smith and Mt. Pleasant police officers followed in pursuit. Walsh said Hoover, who had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit to drive, struck a utility pole in the 1100 block of Jefferson Avenue in the city and then rammed Evans’ police vehicle while in reverse.
Another patrolman at the scene, Smith Township police Officer Michael Pasquale, was standing in front, and fired two shots into the engine compartment of Hoover’s truck, but that failed to disable the vehicle. Evans got out of his patrol car and fired two shots into the truck’s back window, striking Hoover in the back of head and neck, killing the Coraopolis man.
“The standard for deadly force is a subjective one,” Walsh said. “What that means, it’s from the officer’s belief, in real time and in those split seconds, before firing his weapon. Not from the comfort and safety of a conference room seven months later.”
On Oct. 20, Evans and Pasquale received the “Not On My Watch” award for their actions from civil organization Amen Corner, which honored numerous police officers during its fall banquet in Pittsburgh. Larry Dunn, a past president, said he was confused by the coroner’s finding and stood by Walsh’s interpretation of the facts.
“To me, I don’t think the coroner is right with that. The district attorney investigated it and said (the shooting) was justifiable,” Dunn said. “I continue to support the award, especially after the district attorney said it was proper and justified.”
Mt. Pleasant police Chief Matthew Tharp declined to comment on the details of the case, but said he still has faith in Evans.
“I support my police officer and the district attorney’s findings and the state police’s investigation,” Tharp said.
Township solicitor Tom McDermott confirmed that Evans is still employed by the department.
Walsh would not say whether he thought the timing of the inquest was politically motivated, with it coming less than two weeks from the Nov. 7 election. Warco, who was a long-time Democrat until he registered as a Republican last year, is running unopposed for coroner, while Walsh, who is a Republican, is facing a challenge from Democrat Christina DeMarco-Breeden.
“Today is what today is, and Mr. Warco did what he did when he did it,” Walsh said.
“Those are questions he should answer, not me.”
In a written statement released following Walsh’s press conference, Warco took exception with the district attorney’s characterization of the findings in the inquest and his statutory powers as coroner.
“In response to the District Attorney, I stand on the findings and conclusions that I reached following our open inquest,” Warco said. “However, I must correct him on his misunderstanding of my authority to issue a ruling regarding criminal liability. As I stated in my opening to convene the inquest, I am charged with the responsibility to determine whether a criminal act had occurred, and whether the person who committed the act was criminally responsible.”
Warco recommended that if Walsh refused to file an involuntary manslaughter charge, he should refer the case to the state Attorney General’s office. Walsh said he would not do that either, and a spokesperson for the attorney general declined comment Friday.
Walsh called Warco’s findings “nonsense” and placed the blame for the incident squarely on Hoover for driving recklessly while drunk and without a valid license, all while putting both police officers and the public in danger throughout the chase.
“The onus was on Mr. Hoover to comply with the law. The onus was on Mr. Hoover to pull over. The onus, first of all, was on Mr. Hoover not to drive in the first place because he was not permitted to. The onus was on Mr. Hoover not to drink and drive in the first place. The onus was on Mr. Hoover to obey all the laws,” Walsh said. “All the police (were) doing was enforcing the law and protecting the public and then, ultimately, themselves.”