Family seeks answers about shooting
Police say Wilkinsburg man shot first before being killed by officer
Activists and family members of Romir “Rome” Talley, the Wilkinsburg man who was shot and killed by a Wilkinsburg police officer Sunday after police said Mr. Talley fired at the officer, have a lot of questions for borough and county officials.
“Ask the police where the video footage [of the shooting] is,” Rose Price, a local activist said as she took part in a small protest of 10 people Friday afternoon near the borough’s police station with family of Mr. Talley and some friends. “Ask them what the cop’s name is” for the officer who shot Mr. Talley.
“And why are they holding his body hostage from the family” and not letting them see his body, she asked. “Are they trying to fix [Mr. Talley’s body] up” by keeping it at the county medical examiner’s office for so long?
Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said Friday that a funeral home working with the family did pick up Mr. Talley’s body from the medical examiner’s office on Thursday. She said in an email that she was “not sure why they waited several days but there has been no hold or other reason for him not to have been taken as soon as the office was notified of the funeral home.”
The funeral home — the name of which she would not release — could have picked up the body as early as Tuesday, Ms. Downs said, when the medical examiner’s office was first notified which home would be handling arrangements.
Friday’s protest, organized by activist Amber Sloan, attracted a dozen people, including six of Mr. Talley’s family members. One woman said one of them was Mr. Talley’s brother, and at least one other said she was a cousin. But none would provide their names.
The family is now being represented by Philadelphia attorney S. Lee Merritt, who represented the family of Antwon Rose, who was shot and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer in 2018. Mr. Merritt did not return a phone message left at his office Friday, but his office confirmed he is representing the Talley family.
Mr. Talley, 24, was shot and killed just after 1 a.m. Sunday after police responded to a 911 call about a man with a gun threatening someone near the intersection of Penn Avenue and Wood Street, less than 100 feet from the police station.
A few minutes later, police spotted a man in the 800 block of Penn Avenue matching the description of the man with a gun, and he ran. After a short chase, investigators have said, Mr. Talley turned and fired a gun at the officer, who fired back, killing Mr. Talley.
One woman said Mr. Talley’s death was another example of the mistreatment of black men in Wilkinsburg, mistreatment that included Mr. Talley’s arrest as a juvenile when he was 17.
“He was just walking down the street [when he was 17] and a task force officer stopped him and shook him down,” said the unnamed woman, a member of Mr. Talley’s family who attended the protest.
The possible role of the borough’s police task force is troubling to activists.
Victor Muhammad, student minister of the Minister Muhammad Mosque No. 22 in Wilkinsburg, said if the members of the task force — who don’t wear
noticeable police uniforms — were involved in the foot chase, that could have played a role in Mr. Talley’s death.
“They don’t wear a police uniform, so you don’t know if they are police. So, did he know he was running from police? Did they identify themselves as police?” said Mr. Muhammad at the protest. “This unfortunately seems to be standard protocol for Allegheny County police justice.”
Though the shooting was by a Wilkinsburg officer, the investigation is being conducted by the Allegheny County police, which is typical in the county for policeinvolved shootings.
“We can’t just keep taking everyone at their word” that Mr. Talley shot at someone he knew was a Wilkinsburg police officer, Mr. Muhammad said. “We want the facts.”
For the family, Mr. Muhammad said, it is not having any evidence — video surveillance, 911 audiotapes, etc. — that is painful.
“The grief is in not knowing” exactly what happened, he said.
Ms. Downs said no additional information was available yet on Mr. Talley’s autopsy.
Allegheny County police did not respond to a request for comment. Wilkinsburg police Lt.
Wayne McKenith said Friday that the police department would not release any additional information until the county’s investigation is complete.