Post by Scumhunter on Dec 22, 2020 1:48:27 GMT -5
(Above: 2017 booking photo of Francis. Photo Credit: ABC News website via Allegheny Police Department)
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (post-gazette.com):
The suspect in a shooting Sunday that injured a McKeesport police officer managed to shift his handcuffed arms from back to front and retrieve a weapon missed in a body search before shooting the officer and escaping, Allegheny County police said Monday after releasing surveillance footage of the incident.
The 32-year-old officer — identified Monday as Gerasimos Athans — was shot in the neck and torso by Koby Lee Francis, 22, of McKeesport, who was being taken to the station as a result of a suspected parole violation. Officer Athans, a four-year veteran of the force, was shot outside the city’s police station and is expected to be released from UPMC Presbyterian in the next day or two.
“Our hearts go out to McKeesport police and to patrolman Athans’ family and to his fellow officers,” Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said Monday during a press conference at county police headquarters in Green Tree. “We’re very happy that Patrolman Athans’ injuries are no longer life threatening. ... We’re just happy that he will be able to spend Christmas at home with his family.”
Francis was arrested just after 4 p.m. Sunday after violating a Protection From Abuse order at two different addresses, police said. He went to the McKeesport police station just before 3 p.m. to be served with the PFA order. After he left the station, police said they received a call from a residence in Harrison Village that Francis had violated a PFA for that address by trying to pick up his 4-month-old child, who was being watched by a relative.
When police arrived in Harrison Village, Francis was gone, a criminal complaint said.
About 30 minutes later, police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Yester Square — less than 10 minutes away from Harrison Village — for reports that Francis had again violated a PFA. Police said they found him in a Ford Escape outside the residence and arrested him.
Police said they also found a .380-caliber handgun on the passenger seat of the vehicle. They said they found no weapon on his body in their search.
The PFA covered Francis' child and the child’s 24-year-old mother. The order became effective Dec. 10, with a final hearing scheduled for Dec. 28, court records show. The two listed on the PFA are “safe,” police said.
At least two McKeesport officers were present to arrest Francis, according to Mr. McDonough. One officer stayed on scene with the vehicle where the firearm was found, while the other, Officer Athans, took Francis to the police station on Lysle Boulevard.
Francis was combative, police said, and it was initially reported that he had kicked out a window of the police vehicle while being transported. Police later corrected that statement, saying he kicked the window, but did not kick it out.
In surveillance footage taken just outside the McKeesport police station, Officer Athans is seen exiting his police vehicle. He walks around to the passenger side to open the back door for Francis to exit. Once the door was open, Officer Athans can be seen buckling slightly as he is struck by gunfire, and he retreats to the front of the vehicle.
Francis simultaneously hops out of the car and appears to fire additional gunshots toward the officer. He then runs away from the vehicle with both hands in front of him, but still cuffed.
Officer Athans was struck twice in his left shoulder and once in the neck, according to a criminal complaint. Officer Athans said he emptied his gun, firing an undisclosed number of shots back at Francis as he fled.
There was no indication that any of the officer’s bullets struck Francis, police said. Investigators later later found a .32-caliber revolver about 127 feet from Officer Athan's patrol vehicle. The revolver contained five spent cartridges, but police did not say whether they were certain it was the weapon used to shoot the officer.
Authorities also said they were unsure how police missed the weapon on Francis after the initial search when he was taken into custody.
Mr. McDonough said that was an administrative policy matter that McKeesport police would be “taking a look at.”
McKeesport police could not immediately be reached for further comment.
“Our investigators reviewed video from the Yester Square address and at the time of the arrest it was apparent on video that [Francis] had been handcuffed behind his back at the time of arrest,” Mr. McDonough said.
“So at some point, he was able to move the cuffs to the front and also had another weapon secreted somewhere on his person when he arrived at the McKeesport station. ... I don’t know a police officer who has had an extended career who hasn’t seen cuffs handled in that manner.”
Allegheny County police are leading the investigation. U.S. marshals have joined county and McKeesport police in the search for Francis, in addition to surrounding municipal police departments, including the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, the state Attorney General’s Office and the Pittsburgh police.
Mr. McDonough asked for the public’s help in finding Francis, who is about 6-foot-2 and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, camouflage pants and black shoes with white soles.
“We will need the public’s assistance to bring Mr. Francis to justice,” Mr. McDonough said. “We’re asking the public to contact the Allegheny County tip line and to provide information about [Francis’] whereabouts, and we’re asking Mr. Francis to turn himself in so that no one else is injured as this situation unfolds.”
A warrant has been issued for Francis’ arrest on charges of attempted homicide, flight to avoid apprehension, aggravated assault and violating the Uniform Firearms Act.
Police ask anyone with information concerning this incident to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-255-8477; callers can remain anonymous. The department can also be reached via its social media sites.
www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2020/12/21/koby-francis-Gerasimos-Athans-McKeesport-police-shooting-handcuffs-secret-weapon-gun-PFA/stories/202012210078
Thoughts? Based on the above article, Francis was still at large at least as of December 21st, 2020. Also I am placing this case in the Fugitives on TV section because this very massive manhunt is now on the websites for the national networks such as ABC:
abcnews.go.com/US/handcuffed-suspect-run-allegedly-shooting-pennsylvania-police-officer/story?id=74845997
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