Officer Michael Rosfeld, the East Pittsburgh police officer caught on camera shooting an unarmed 17-year-old in the back as he ran away, has been charged on one count of criminal homicide.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rosfeld turned himself in at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday in City Court in downtown Pittsburgh, where he was granted an unsecured bond of $250,000.
Protesters have demanded charges be filed against Rosfeld since he shot and killed Antwon on June 19. Rosfeld had pulled over a car suspected to be involved in an earlier drive-by shooting in North Braddock; Antwon was in the car alongside the driver and another passenger. As the driver was told to exit the vehicle and get on the ground, Antwon and another person, Zaijuan Hester, took off running.
That’s when Rosfeld shot Antwon three times in the back. Police have confirmed that Antwon was not armed when he was shot.
The shooting was captured on camera by a 23-year-old female bystander, told ABC News it was as though Rosfeld “was taking target practice out on this young man’s back.”
“He didn’t flinch. He didn’t say, ‘Stop running.’ He didn’t say anything,” she said.
Recent reports reveal that Rosfeld had a checkered past as an officer. He had just been sworn in to the East Pittsburgh Police Department hours before killing Antwon, but had served on other forces for the past 7 years.
Another Post-Gazette story found Rosfeld left his last job working for the University of Pittsburgh police after the department “discovered discrepancies between the officer’s sworn statement and evidence in an arrest.”
Hester, the other passenger in the car Rosfeld stopped, was arrested Monday night and charged with attempted homicide related to the drive-by shooting in North Braddock, the Post-Gazette reports.
According to the Post-Gazette, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is expected to hold a press conference on the charges later today. Officer Rosfeld’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 6.