Coroner: Trooper shot Pa. man in self-defense

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania coroner says a state trooper was justified and acted in self-defense when he fatally shot an armed man on Christmas Eve

Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha conducted an inquest in May and announced the results today in the fatal shooting of 51-year-old Jeffrey Yohman outside his Hempfield Township home last year. Authorities say Yohman brandished a high-powered .480-caliber Ruger pistol and threatened to shoot troopers after pushing one over a porch railing.

Trooper John Isoldi Jr., of the Greensburg barracks, fired four shots hitting Yohman twice — once each in the chest and right shoulder.

District Attorney John Peck concurred in the coroner’s findings and won’t file charges saying, “This case shows how dangerous the job is for a police officer. ... You never know when things can turn violent and fatal.”