On December 4, 2015, Raymone Davis, a 21-year-old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed during an attempted bank robbery at the First Niagara Bank on Shiloh Street in the Mount Washington area of Pittsburgh. The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m., when Davis entered the bank with a handgun, announcing the robbery and ordering everyone inside to the ground.
He did not know that Officer Lisa Luncinski, a Pittsburgh police officer who was working a security detail at the bank, was present. She was there due to a string of recent robberies that had targeted the same bank in the months of October and November.
The attempted robbery escalated within moments. As Davis took a shooting stance, Officer Luncinski responded by drawing her weapon, identifying herself as a police officer, and commanding Davis to drop his gun. Davis raised his weapon in her direction, and the officer fired one shot, hitting Davis in the lower back. The entire incident lasted approximately 40 seconds from the time Davis entered the bank until he was shot. After the shooting, Officer Luncinski provided first aid and CPR to Davis until paramedics arrived. Davis was then transported to Mercy Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The Allegheny County District Attorney, Stephen Zappala, conducted a review of the incident and determined that the shooting was justified. The entire sequence was captured on security video, which was presented during a news conference to explain the circumstances. Zappala noted that Officer Luncinski's actions were in line with department procedures, and she acted to protect herself and others in the bank. The officer was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which is standard procedure, while the investigation was ongoing.
Davis was on probation at the time of the robbery, following previous convictions for simple assault and drug dealing. Authorities also investigated his potential involvement in earlier robberies at the same bank, although he had not been officially linked to those incidents. During the investigation, law enforcement collaborated with the district attorney’s office and the FBI, examining whether the attempted robbery was related to a broader pattern of criminal activity in the area.
