ALIQUIPPA, PA – Cellphone footage captured outside of a mini-mart in Aliquippa showcased a group of bystanders coming to the aid of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who’d been shot during a confrontation with an armed suspect authorities had responded to at the establishment.
Local reports note the incident occurred on July 29th, just after midnight at the Franklin Mini-Mart in Aliquippa, with troopers Jonnie Schooley and Shawn Palmer having responded to an incident involving a man allegedly brandishing a firearm at the mini-mart.
Go Ad-Free, Get Exclusive Shows and Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
Authorities identified the armed suspect as Damian Bradford, who’d allegedly been threatening patrons with a pistol before the two troopers intervened and attempted to take the suspect into custody.
Officials say Bradford had put up a fight while troopers were trying to restrain him, with the suspect reportedly shooting Trooper Schooley during the struggle. Bradford was able to be disarmed after the shooting but then allegedly tried to gain possession of Trooper Palmer’s gun and taser thereafter.
Bystanders nearby assisted with getting the suspect under control, while others assisted Trooper Schooley with his gunshot wound while awaiting the arrival of emergency services.
Video captured following the shooting shows the group of men working to compress the trooper’s wound while a tourniquet was applied.
Stop Buying From Companies That Hate You, Make The Spending Switch
In a follow-up interview with a local CBS outlet, Matthew Weekley, who was one of the men who came to Trooper Schooley’s aid, shared details of the experience.
“They said, ‘man, he needed a shirt,’ so I took a shirt and made tourniquets for him. People were just wrapping stuff around his leg, and he was directing us. He was like, ‘man, wrap it around my leg. I need it tighter,’ so we just tightened it. The ambulance didn’t come for a while.”
When recounting the matter, Weekley admitted that he’d never envisioned himself being in a situation where he’d be coming to the aid of an injured state trooper, but added that at the end of the day, he was simply helping a fellow man and father.
“He a human, man. Like I ain’t really tripping, man, I’ve dealt with cops all my life. I’ve been on the wrong side. I’m on the good side now, so it really wasn’t nothing. He’s got some babies waiting at home as well as me.”
As for the suspect accused of shooting the trooper, he’s facing a litany of charges related to the incident, which includes criminal attempted homicide, assault of a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault, five counts of recklessly endangering another person, disarming a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, possession of a prohibited firearm and firearms not to be carried without a license.
Pennsylvania State Police deputy commissioner of operations Major Jeremy Richard issued a statement commending the bystanders for their actions, saying, “I want to thank the citizens, several who came to the aid of our troopers. The sense of community and support of our police departments must overcome the sense of fear that the gun violence produces.”
Quick - Do This Before Biden “Fixes” Your Retirement Plan Next…
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
I would like to see a video of the apprehension of the criminal and to see what really happened. IF this story is true, i would put it on my newsletter which has a far greater number of readers than this. But from what I have seen and experienced of cops, this is a deception. Not the helping hand, the alleged incident of the cops not being aggressive and arresting without undue force.
unfortunately all we seem to hear is about the bottom feeders. I served in the military with black guys and later on worked with black guys in various high tech electronic jobs. They were good men, unlike the ferals in places like the South Side of Chicago.
I looked up the crime, and this is a formerly convicted murderer, and the state troopers apprehended the robber without hurting him. Of course, the assistance of several citizens may be why there was no shooting by the troopers, but that they did this in a legal, civilized fashion is commendable. I wish I did not have to commend police for doing their job correctly, but in today’s America, unfortunately this is far above average policing. Kudos.
And a 10% down stroke on a $25 bond and this dude is on the street for two fidy!