Aucy Andrews was a 59-year-old Black male from Pittsburgh's Hill District whose life ended on November 10, 2007, after a confrontation with police in the city's Uptown area. He lived on Colwell Street, and the shooting happened near Fifth Avenue and Van Braam Street at about 4:45 p.m. Authorities said the incident began when Pittsburgh police encountered Andrews armed with a knife.
According to police accounts reported at the time, Andrews allegedly tried to stab a police dog and then
moved toward a Pittsburgh police officer while still holding the knife. The officer, described by the department as an eight-year veteran who had spent the previous two years as a K-9 officer, fired one shot. Andrews was struck in the torso and died at the scene. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office later said he died from a single gunshot wound.
The officer who shot Andrews was not publicly named in the available reports. He was placed on administrative leave, which police described as standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting. The Pittsburgh police homicide unit and the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office were assigned to review the shooting.
Those who knew Andrews questioned the police account and the necessity of deadly force. A longtime friend described him as poor, solitary, and not someone known for causing trouble. The friend also said Andrews had difficulty hearing, raising the possibility that he may not have fully understood police commands in the chaotic moments before he was shot. From that perspective, the scene looked less like a deliberate attack and more like a frightened man reacting when a police dog came at him.
No civilian suspect was identified in Andrews' death because the fatal shot was fired by a police officer. The available reports do not show that anyone was arrested or charged in connection with the shooting, and they do not describe a trial or conviction. The case appears to have been handled as an officer-involved shooting investigation rather than a homicide case involving a traditional suspect.
