In the early morning hours of January 22, 2017, a tragic series of events unfolded in the Larimer neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, culminating in the death of 57-year-old Christopher Mark Tompkins, a Black male. Responding to a report of a home invasion at Tompkins' residence, Pittsburgh police officers arrived to a chaotic scene.
Inside the home, Tompkins and his ex-wife, Brenda Richmond, had been awakened by an intruder, later identified as Juan Brian Jeter-Clark.
In an attempt to scare off the intruder, Tompkins armed himself with a handgun. As police approached the front of the house, Tompkins was coming down the stairs and fired the weapon. The officers, believing they were being fired upon, returned fire, fatally wounding the homeowner.
The subsequent investigation revealed a complex and unfortunate situation. Jeter-Clark, the man who had broken into the home, was taken into custody at the scene and later charged with criminal trespass. The two police officers involved in the shooting, identified as Harrison Maddox and Brendan Flicker, were placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure in such cases. The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office launched a full investigation into the shooting.
In December 2018, a grand jury concluded its investigation and determined that the officers' actions were within the scope of their training and did not recommend criminal charges. The grand jury's report described the incident as a 'perfect storm of tragic circumstances,' citing the confusion of the home invasion, the loud noise, and gunfire as contributing factors to the tragic outcome.
In the wake of his death, it was reported that Christopher Tompkins had a prior conviction for a 1994 homicide, which legally prohibited him from possessing a firearm. In March 2018, Brenda Richmond filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Pittsburgh and the police officers involved. The lawsuit alleged that the officers used excessive force and that the city failed to adequately train its police force. The final outcome of this civil litigation is not publicly known.
