Millcreek police chief: Man threw hammer at officers, had other weapon before he was shot

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Two Millcreek Township police officers who responded to a sprawling apartment complex near Peach Street on May 11 to investigate reports of a man with hammers smashing car windows encountered the suspect in a parking lot.
The man confronted the officers and threw a hammer at them, Millcreek Police Chief Carter Mook said.
Then the man displayed another weapon, he said.
As the man continued toward the officers, according to Mook, a Taser was deployed, but for whatever reason it was not effective in stopping him.
One of the officers then fired gunshots at the man, killing him, authorities reported.
The Pennsylvania State Police continued their investigation May 13 into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Patrick J. Kanonczyk in the 1600 block of Treetop Drive in The Reserve at Millcreek apartment complex off Kuntz Road. The two Millcreek police officers involved in the incident, who authorities have not named, are on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Mook said administrative leave is not meant to be punitive, but gives the officers time to process a traumatic event and to reset mentally before coming back to work.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said May 13, following an autopsy the previous afternoon, that Kanonczyk died of gunshot wounds, and he ruled the death a homicide, or the killing of one person by another. Cook said he could not comment further, including on how many times Kanonczyk was shot and where on his body he was struck, as the matter remains under investigation.
Authorities reported previously that Kanonczyk was shot sometime after Millcreek police were called to Treetop Drive on May 11 at 7:18 p.m. to investigate reports of a man smashing car windows with hammers. Police said numerous calls were made to 911 about the man.
Lt. Mary Gausman, crime section supervisor for state police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township, told the Erie Times-News May 12 that residents of the apartment complex reported the man, who Cook said lived in the apartment complex, had hammers and was smashing out vehicle windows. Kanonczyk reportedly threw a hammer at one resident who confronted him from her apartment balcony, breaking a window of another apartment, and reportedly threw a hammer at some other people at the complex who confronted him, according to Gausman.
Mook said the man was still armed with a hammer when Millcreek officers arrived and encountered him, and he threw a hammer at the officers. Mook said the man then displayed a "weapon," although he declined to identify the type of weapon.
State police have also not commented on whether Kanonczyk was armed with any other weapons besides hammers.
Authorities said police attempted to administer first aid to Kanonczyk after the shooting before determining that he was dead. The Erie County Coroner's Office pronounced him dead at the scene at 8:24 p.m. May 11.
There were no other injuries reported in the incident.
Mook said there is body camera footage from the officers involved in the incident that was turned over to state police for review in their investigation. There is other video footage that will be reviewed as part of the probe, according to Gausman.
Once state police completes the investigation into the shooting, the reports will be forwarded to the Erie County District Attorney's Office for review. It was not known May 13 when the state police investigation would be completed.
Contact Tim Hahn at [e-mail]. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Millcreek chief says man shot by police threw hammer, had other weapon