Ruling: Mercer County cops' deadly force justified

Staff report

farrell, pa.

The Mercer County District Attorney ruled as justified two police officers’ using deadly force in the shooting death of a man on Thanksgiving.

Two Southwest Regional police officers shot Donteau Napier, 27, outside a home on Dream Boulevard.

Mercer County District Attorney Robert Kochems said Tuesday that even though Donteau did not have a gun, the officers had reason to believe he did.

Kochems said officers were called to 31 Dream Blvd. around 3:15 p.m. Nov. 24 for a domestic dispute.

As they headed there, the dispatch told them Napier had left the residence and was going to George Street with a handgun, that he was bipolar and planning to be in a shootout with police.

Police couldn’t find him and went to the Dream Boulevard residence. Relatives there told them Napier had tried to drag a woman from the home and had knocked down elderly relatives. He left and went to a car, then returned with a handgun, they told police. He tried to get in through a locked door and window, then left.

Officers continued to look for Napier, who was driving a black Volvo. They recognized his car and tried to stop him on Union Street. He would not stop, and they chased him back to Dream Boulevard.

Officers faced off with him outside 31 Dream, and ordered him to get down.

He told them to shoot him, Kochems said.

One officer drew his stun gun, then Napier reached around his back under his shirt, Kochems said. The officer dropped the stun gun and shot Napier eight times with his service weapon.

The shots appeared to have no effect, and the other officer thought Napier might have on body armor. He shot him three more times, Kochems said.

Napier was not wearing body armor.

Kochems said a state police probe showed Napier was planning a confrontation with police for Thanksgiving Day. His Facebook page had a countdown of entries that suggested a climax for Thanksgiving. He also was arrested once in May by police in Ohio, telling them, “Thanksgiving is coming,” Kochems said.