In the pre-dawn hours of January 18, 2018, a team of law enforcement officers descended on a home in the 1800 block of Mulberry Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to serve an arrest warrant. Among them was Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher David Hill, a 45-year-old male and an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service. The task force was there to arrest Shayla Lynette Towles Pierce, who was wanted for making terroristic threats. As officers were taking her into custody on the first floor, the situation took a sudden and violent turn.
From the second floor of the residence, a man named Kevin Sturgis, 31, began firing at the officers. The hail of gunfire created a chaotic scene, and in the exchange, Marshal Hill and another officer, York City Police Officer Kyle Pitts, were struck. As the gunman continued to fire, an officer returned fire in self-defense. Tragically, one of the rounds fired by the officer went through a wall and fatally struck Marshal Hill. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect, Kevin Sturgis, who had active warrants for his arrest in Philadelphia, then fled the house, firing again at the officers outside. The officers returned fire, and Sturgis was shot and killed at the scene. The woman who was the subject of the initial warrant, Shayla Pierce, was arrested.
In the aftermath, the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office investigated the shooting and determined that the law enforcement officers were justified in their use of deadly force against Sturgis. The investigation concluded that although Marshal Hill was killed by friendly fire, Kevin Sturgis was ultimately responsible for his death because he 'maliciously and unnecessarily set in motion the exchange of gunfire.' Christopher Hill, a U.S. Army veteran, was survived by his wife and two children.
