Hempfield, PA: Hempfield man killed by state trooper

Police say victim ignored orders to drop handgun
Sunday, December 26, 2010
By Sadie Gurman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Neighbors said Jeffrey Yohman and his wife often argued, sometimes so loudly that they could be heard from several houses down the road.

The two fought on the porch of their Hempfield home Friday about an hour before state troopers were called to the home and fatally shot Mr. Yohman, 51, who they said ignored their orders to drop his handgun. State police in Greensburg on Saturday offered few glimpses into the shooting, nor did they shed light on the domestic dispute that drove them to the Yohman home in the 1300 block of Swede Hill Road about 4:15 p.m.

Mr. Yohman physically confronted the first trooper who arrived, forcing him over a front porch railing and onto the ground several feet below, a state police spokesman wrote in a short statement.

Mr. Yohman then ran back into his house and retrieved a handgun, which troopers said he pointed at them once he returned outside. A trooper, whom police would not identify, opened fire on Mr. Yohman when he "became more aggressive," and refused to obey orders that he drop the weapon.

He was pronounced dead at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital. The first-responding officer, also unidentified in the statement, was treated at the same hospital for a head laceration, suffered after falling over the railing.

Tina Capasso, who lives a few doors down, said shell casings littered the street, but it was unclear from which weapon or weapons they were fired. The police spokesman didn't say whether Mr. Yohman shot at the officers and couldn't be reached for further comment.

Ms. Capasso was drawn into the afternoon commotion by her dogs' incessant barking, which muffled the sound of gunfire. But she looked out from the corner of her garage and saw Mr. Yohman collapse in the snow of his yard.

Troopers with rifles ran back and fourth, she said, including one who was clutching his bloodied face.

"You could see everyone emptying their clips right there in the road," she said.

As for Mr. Yohman, she said, he was the type of neighbor who kept to himself, though he would often argue with his wife. Ms. Capasso could only guess what triggered their ongoing disagreements.

"I guess probably the holiday put stress on it," she said.

Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck told reporters at the scene on Friday that holiday stress may, indeed, have had something to do with the domestic dispute.

A woman who answered the door at the Yohman home on Saturday declined to comment.

Sadie Gurman: sgurman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1878.