Politics & Government

Poplawski Trial: 'I'm Not Going to Shoot Anybody Else'

Accused gunman's mother told police they should've killed him, according to KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Richard Poplawski, in a telephone conversation with a negotiator, said he was wounded and ready to end the gun battle at his home in which three Pittsburgh Police officers had died, saying "I'm not going to shoot anybody else," according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

In testimony Tuesday during the second day of Poplawski's trial, jurors and spectators heard the taped call in which Poplawski agreed to surrender after the shootout on April 4, 2009, according to the Post-Gazette and KDKA-TV. 

A Pittsburgh SWAT officer also testified Tuesday that the firefight that followed the fatal shootings of Officers Paul Sciullo II, Stephen Mayle and Eric G. Kelly was so intense that officers were running out of ammunition, according to the KDKA report.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another officer also testified Tuesday that Poplawski's mother, Margaret, told police they should've killed her son during the shootout at the home she shared with him in Stanton Heights, according to the Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Poplawski is charged with killing the three officers and injuring two others after ambushing them when they responded to a domestic argument between him and his mother. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Pine-Richland