Residents are being evacuated near an “active shooting situation” in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood where the suspect started shooting as the Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies were serving him with an eviction notice.
Shots continue to be fired in the area, that is just blocks away from UPMC Children’s Hospital. Apart from the Pittsburgh police, the bomb squad and SWAT are also on the scene and people have been told to avoid the area. The FBI has also responded to the scene.
UPMC Children’s said in a statement: “Pittsburgh Police are responding to a shooting incident approximately ½ mile from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The individual is accounted for and there is no direct threat to patients, staff or visitors. Enhanced security is now present on campus and will continue through the day.”
Pittsburgh Montessori School and Obama Academy are on lockdown, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools officials.
President Joe Biden has been briefed about the situation.
A neighbor told Channel 11 the suspect shot her house while he was firing. She said she hid in her basement when the shots rang out. Another neighbor said he escaped out of the back of his home.
Who is William Hardison Sr?
The situation became tense at North Mathilda Street and Jordan Way in the city’s Garfield neighborhood after the suspect shot hundreds of rounds at around 11 a.m. on Thursday. The suspect, who is believed to be a squatter, has reportedly barricaded himself.
An attorney said the home where Hardison was squatting was bought at a sheriff’s sale and deputies had gone to remove a man who was “basically squatting.”
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According to 11 Investigates, the name of the suspect is William Hardison Sr. According to sources who spoke to the outlet, Hardison Sr believes that he’s a sovereign citizen, which makes him exempt from the law.
Hardison is believed to have shot down two drones put up by law enforcement. The police have since sent another drone up. A sheriff’s deputy sustained a head injury after being forced to dive for cover while the suspect was shooting, officials said.
A senior official said that the SWAT team is attempting to negotiate with the suspect. According to KDKA-TV, the authorities might be trying to use the help of the suspect’s family members to try and negotiate with him.
A woman, believed to be Hardison’s sister, yelled at reporters at the scene, saying “He is a good man, he just lost his brother and he was in the service.” In addition, she has asked the police if they would allow her to go near the home and try to talk to her brother. She has apparently been trying to get in touch with him on the phone but he has not been responding to her.
Although she tried to convince the police that he would listen to her if he gets to see her or hear from her, she was told by the police that it wasn’t safe for her to go near the house. Another family member said they they had no clue what was going on but would have offered to help the suspect out with accommodation if he needed a place to stay.
