In the spring of 2008, the life of 19-year-old Justin J. Jackson came to a sudden and violent end on a street in the Pittsburgh borough of Mount Oliver. The events that unfolded on the evening of May 6th began when police officers, responding to a report of shots fired in the area, encountered Jackson. The officers, Christian Sciulli and Justin Simoni, stated they saw Jackson and suspected he was carrying a concealed weapon.
According to the police account, the officers exited their
vehicle and ordered Jackson to show his hands. When he eventually did, he was holding a. 357-caliber Magnum. Officer Sciulli then released his K-9 partner, a German shepherd named Aulf, to subdue Jackson. In the ensuing moments, Jackson fired his weapon, striking and killing the police dog. In response, both officers opened fire, fatally wounding Jackson with gunshots to his head and chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The gun Jackson used was later reported as having been stolen in 2006.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jackson's family, while acknowledging his troubled past which included juvenile offenses for assault and robbery, questioned the police's use of deadly force. They suggested that the officers may have been motivated by anger over the death of the K-9. Some witnesses also offered accounts that differed from the official police version of events. Despite the family's concerns and the differing witness statements, the Allegheny County District Attorney's office investigated the incident.
In January 2009, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Officers Sciulli and Simoni. The investigation concluded that the officers' actions constituted an appropriate use of force under the circumstances. Zappala stated that the officers only resorted to deadly force after Jackson refused their commands and shot the police dog, placing the officers themselves in the line of fire. Following the district attorney's decision, the two officers, who had been placed on administrative leave as per department policy, were cleared to return to their duties. The shooting was officially ruled as a justified use of force, closing the legal chapter on the death of Justin Jackson.
