Pittsburgh Communities

Saturday marks 11 years since three Pittsburgh officers were killed

PITTSBURGH — Saturday marks 11 years since three Pittsburgh police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident in Stanton Heights.

Officers Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo were responding to a domestic call when they were ambushed by a heavily armed Richard Poplawski. Officer Eric Kelly had finished his shift but went to the scene to help his fellow officers. He was killed trying to rescue them.

Lest we forget. Eleven years ago, on April 4, 2009, three Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers were shot and killed in...

Posted by Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on Saturday, April 4, 2020

Plaques in the officers’ memories sit at the Zone 5 police station. A Bloomfield park is named after Sciullo, a native of the neighborhood; a baseball field in Brookline is dedicated to Mayhle; and a field in Stanton Heights bears Kelly’s name.

Poplawski was convicted of murdering the officers and was sentenced to death in 2011. He remains on Pennsylvania’s Death Row.

April 4, 2009 is still the deadliest day for law enforcement in the city of Pittsburgh’s history.