On New Year's Eve of 2013, the community of Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, was shaken by the violent death of a local business owner. Frank S. Petro, a 62-year-old male, was shot and killed inside his own establishment, Frank's Gun & Taxidermy Shop in Tunnelton. The incident, which occurred around 2 p.m., left another man, Jack Edmundson Jr., wounded. Authorities arriving at the scene discovered Petro deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the shooting quickly focused on
43-year-old Jack Edmundson Jr., who was at the scene and had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. Initially, Edmundson claimed he had been shot by Petro and had returned fire in self-defense. However, evidence uncovered by state police painted a much darker picture of the events that transpired. On January 1, 2014, Edmundson was charged with homicide, attempted arson, and aggravated assault in connection with Petro's death.
As the investigation deepened, a motive of extortion came to light. Prosecutors alleged that Edmundson, a former police officer, had been extorting Petro for a significant amount of money, reportedly over $120,000. Edmundson had allegedly posed as an undercover detective investigating an illegal lottery, convincing Petro to pay him to make the 'case' disappear. Surveillance footage from inside the gun shop reportedly captured the final, fatal encounter. The video allegedly showed Edmundson taking a pistol from a display case and shooting Petro. Following the initial shots, Edmundson was seen spreading gunpowder and an accelerant, in an apparent attempt to set the building on fire. A struggle ensued between the two men, during which Petro was shot at least twice more.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jack Edmundson Jr. was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital to be treated for his leg wound. While awaiting trial, he faced further legal trouble, including an attempted escape charge in January 2015 after he was accused of trying to saw through a bar in his jail cell. The District Attorney's office announced its intention to seek the death penalty in the case against Edmundson for the murder of Frank Petro.
