One death, many questions
Answers needed in police shooting of Antwon Rose
The protesters who took to the streets and social media after Antwon Rose’s death deserve answers. Allegheny County police Superintendent Coleman McDonough deserves time to provide them.
Antwon, 17, a student at Woodland Hills High School, was fatally shot three times Tuesday night by East Pittsburgh police Officer Michael Rosfeld. County officials said Antwon fled from a car that had been stopped because it matched the description of one linked to an earlier shooting in North Braddock.
Police continued looking for a second passenger who also fled. They apprehended the driver, then questioned and released him.
The protesters and Antwon’s family and friends have many questions, such as why the officer fired at the youth, who was unarmed but had an empty handgun clip in his pants pocket, as he ran away. They want to know whether Officer Rosfeld will be punished. They’re entitled to explanations. Superintendent McDonough asked for time to conduct “an objective investigation, to gather facts,” and that’s also a legitimate request.
The investigation should be conducted as quickly as possible. It benefits no one — neither Antwon’s family nor the community nor Officer Rosfeld — to drag things out. Besides, the public mood will not tolerate unreasonable delay.
When the investigation is complete, the authorities should provide a moment-by-moment breakdown of the traffic stop and its aftermath. They should say whether the officer had backup or intercepted the car and its occupants alone. They should detail the officer’s work and training history. They should describe police procedure and how Officer Rosfeld followed or departed from it.
Authorities already have said that guns were found in the car and that it appeared to have gunshot damage. The investigation should reveal whose guns they were and whether the car indeed had taken gunfire before police stopped it.
Investigators aren’t the only ones who have to do their part.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Thursday that some witnesses have refused to cooperate. Anyone with information about Antwon’s death should step forward out of respect for him and to ensure the integrity of the investigation.
If witnesses won’t cooperate, Superintendent McDonough will have a more difficult time providing the answers Anton’s family and the community seek.
When the investigation is complete, authorities should lay out steps for preventing tragedies of this kind in the future and for building trust in communities where it is so obviously lacking. Other communities have failed to improve police-community relations after a death like Antwon’s. This one must do better.