Police official discusses Greenville shooting

Staff/wire reports

GREENVILLE, Pa.

A police official in charge of a special law-enforcement team says a nonlethal bean bag fired from a shotgun did not stop a robbery suspect before an officer fatally shot the suspect in the head.

Jeffrey Anderson, 30, of Greenville was shot about 8 p.m. Tuesday when officers say he tried to back over them in his car. They had arrived with arrest and search warrants relating to four robberies at convenience stores.

Hermitage Police Chief Patrick McElhinny, who is president of the board of the Mercer County Critical Incident Response team, said he believes the shooting was justified.

Police have yet to identify the officer who fired the fatal shot. McElhinny said 10 officers from area municipalities were involved in the CIRT response.

Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Department reported the arrest of a second suspect in three of the robberies.

Arthur Novel, 17, of Clarksville Street in Greenville was arrested and arraigned Thursday before District Judge Lorinda Hinch in Mercer, police said.

He was taken to the Mercer County jail after failing to post bond. His bond was set at $50,000 for criminal attempted robbery and at $25,000 for criminal conspiracy robbery, the district judge’s office said.

Novel confessed being the unarmed robber in the Circle K robbery in West Middlesex at 2:46 a.m. July 23. He also was the lone gunman at McQuaid’s on New Castle Road at 2:15 a.m. that day, police said. The robber at McQuaid’s brandished a shotgun, but left empty-handed after a clerk refused to open the register.

He also admitted involvement in a robbery at Standard Market in Brookfield the same date, police said.