Donte Broadus, a 25-year-old Black male, was killed in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, on October 9, 2021, in an incident that began as a shooting and ended with a violent rollover crash on Third Street. Police said the Pitcairn police chief was the first to arrive at the scene around 1 p.m., where he found a Kia Forte overturned on its roof with two people trapped inside.
Broadus was found inside the Kia and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said he had been shot multiple times on his right side. The woman who had been in the vehicle with him survived but was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Hospital staff later found that she had been shot five times in her legs.
The shooting shook the neighborhood in the middle of the day. A nearby doorbell camera captured the sound of more than 15 gunshots, and neighbors said the Kia struck multiple vehicles while coming down the hill before it crashed and flipped over at the bottom. One neighbor told local reporters she no longer felt safe in her home because of repeated gunfire in the area.
Investigators from multiple departments began looking for a suspect after the crash. A man matching the suspect description was found near the entrance of Sugar Camp Park, soaking wet and wearing soiled shoes. Police identified him as Garrett Cogdell and said he agreed to go to police headquarters.
According to court documents cited by local reporting, Cogdell confessed to the shooting but described it as a response to gunfire. He allegedly told investigators that he saw Broadus’ car speeding up his street, and that as the car neared, someone began shooting at him from the window. Cogdell said he ran to his garage, grabbed a gun, and fired back at the vehicle.
Police arrested Cogdell and charged him in connection with the deadly incident. The available reporting identifies him as the person accused in the shooting and states that he admitted firing at the car, but it does not report any additional suspects, trial outcome, conviction, or final case disposition.
