Man fatally shot by police after officers respond to reports of shots fired, attempted homicide

MONONGAHELA, Pa. — A man was fatally shot by police as officers responded to reports of shots fired and an attempted homicide in Washington County.

The Washington County Coroner identified the man as Cody Bennett, 29, of Monongahela, who lived just a few homes down from where he was involved in a deadly police encounter.

Washington County dispatchers said officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Lincoln Street in Monongahela around 9:10 p.m.

Police said a confrontation began and Bennett was shot by an officer. He was flown to the Mon Valley Hospital and pronounced dead at 10:13 p.m.

“I don’t know what we are going to do without him... and such a violent way to go,” said Marci Doty-Fitterer, Bennett’s mother. She said her son called an hour before the incident with police and invited her to the party. She doesn’t understand what happened during that short time period that could end in violence.

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“We cannot figure out, for the life of us, why. Or, what happened. He was so happy, and I spoke to him on the phone. I was invited over and he was happy as anything and like an hour later this happened. What the hell happened? What happened to my baby?”

Doty-Fitterer said her son was an incredible uncle to his 2-year-old niece, and that he had just taken her for a walk earlier in the night. She said he worked for a local swimming pool installation company, and loved to garden. And that is how she’d like her son to be remembered.

“If the tables were turned, would you would want your child’s story to be heard? You’d want him to be known for what he was, the gentle giant he was and that he loved with all his heart.”

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Doty-Fitterer told Cara Sapida no one in the family knew he had a gun. They don’t know if it was his gun.

“No, no. I did not. That’s still an unanswered question. And he’s not here to give us that story. And he never will and that makes me sad.”

State Police have taken over the investigation and have released very few details.

Police told Channel 11 that people at the party told Bennett to leave. He went to his own house, got a gun, and went back, firing shots into the air and at the house.

According to police, when responding officers arrived, Bennett began shooting at their car. They told Bennett to drop the gun and when he didn’t, they shot him.

Police also said the officer that shot Bennett is on administrative leave.

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