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Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - January 18, 2010
FRANKLIN, Pa. -- On a grim, gray day, when it never did stop raining, Carrie Cornell clutched the tightly folded American flag that had draped the coffin of her slain husband and guided her two small children to the limousine that awaited them.
Pausing, she looked across the car to the members of Pennsylvania State Police Troop E, her husband's colleagues, as they stood at attention in the parking lot of Franklin Area High School, stiffly saluting.
She blew them a kiss.
Speakers during yesterday's funeral for state police Trooper Paul G. Richey, 40, who was shot and killed in the line of duty last Wednesday, noted that two families were touched by the tragedy -- his loved ones and the officers with whom he served.
"When Paul joined the Pennsylvania State Police, he knew he wasn't just taking a call," Troop E state police Chaplain Brian Kelly told his fellow law enforcement officers. "He was fulfilling a calling. ... You, too, joined to serve, to use your God-given talents to make a difference in the world. In the course of day-to-day realities, sometimes we forget that. ... And then people like Paul remind us of the truth about why we do what we do.
"Paul did not have to go on that ill-fated call Wednesday. It wasn't his zone, it wasn't his responsibility. ... He could have just stayed at the station and let someone else deal with it. But that's not what being a trooper is all about. And it's not what Paul was about. Paul gave his life that day, fulfilling the sacred duty of serving those in danger and distress."
Law enforcement officers and emergency responders from across the commonwealth and many other states were among the more than 1,000 mourners crowded into the high school auditorium for yesterday's funeral. Another 1,000 people took seats in the school gymnasium, where they watched a television feed of the service. Among the dignitaries in attendance were local elected officials, community leaders and state Attorney General Tom Corbett.
The service began with the wives of Troop E officers filing into the auditorium, each wearing a corsage and the bravest of smiles.
They were followed by the Richey family members, including Trooper Richey's son, Conner, 9, and his daughter, Catherine, 6, cradling an oversized teddy bear.
Then came the nearly 300 members of Troop E, which patrols the northwest corner of the state, squeezing their broad backs into the auditorium's narrow seats.
Trooper Scott Mohnkern, who served with Trooper Richey, spoke at the service, sharing memories collected from the troopers in the Franklin barracks.
"Paul was a great trooper," Trooper Mohnkern said, his voice breaking. "It was amazing how he always remained calm, cool and collected, no matter what the situation. In stressful situations, Paul had a calming effect that resonated to the rest of us.
"Paul also was quick to volunteer. I can picture Paul sitting at the other end of the patrol room, swiveling to the left in his chair, and saying, 'I'll go with you. I know who we're dealing with.' "
Trooper Richey volunteered to accompany Trooper Jason Whitman to the scene of a domestic disturbance Wednesday morning, police said, when Michael J. Smith, 44, fired a shot from a window in his Cranberry Township home, killing Trooper Richey. Police later found Mr. Smith and his wife, Nancy Frey-Smith, 53, dead in their home.
"Paul was all that was great," Trooper Mohnkern told his fellow troopers from the pulpit in the auditorium. "He had his priorities straight. God, his family, and his duties as a dedicated trooper.
"If you want to honor Paul, then I challenge you today to examine your life. If you want to honor Paul, you need to be like Paul. Love Jesus Christ, just as Paul did. Take time for your kids and your family, as Paul did. And walk through your everyday life, unselfishly, just as Paul did."
Pastor David Janz of the Christ United Methodist Church, which the Richey family regularly attends, noted how in a small community like Franklin, people get to know each other. They celebrate holidays together, and they mourn tragedies together.
"It has been a dark and cold and painful week," the Rev. Janz said. "And the night may yet last a while for us. But I want to say to the Richey family, to the Nancy Frey-Smith family, I want to say to the Franklin community, sisters and brothers, the sun will shine again. Morning will come."
The service, replete with somber songs of Christian faith and words of comfort and prayer, concluded with a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and the accompaniment of bagpipe players from the Pittsburgh Police Bureau.
The final salute was a state police helicopter fly-over in which the helicopter stationed at the Troop E barracks peeled off in the missing man formation.
Trooper Richey's family requested that many of the ceremonial traditions that might have taken place at the gravesite be conducted at the high school so that the burial could be private.
Published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - January 17, 2010
The giant American flag hoisted over Route 8 between a pair of volunteer fire department ladder trucks was the first indication that something special was happening in Franklin on Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters in the small town 80 miles north of Pittsburgh wanted to do their part to say goodbye to Trooper Paul Richey, a 40-year-old state policeman who was gunned down last week after volunteering to answer a domestic disturbance call.
A half-mile away from the flag display, more than 1,500 police officers — including some from Alaska and California — gathered in bone-chilling rain to bid farewell to Richey and honor his family.
The father of two was shot on Wednesday in what police are calling an ambush. Authorities believe Michael J. Smith 44, of Cranberry in Venango County, lay in wait for police and shot and killed his wife, Nancy Frey-Smith, 53, and Richey before taking his own life.
Yesterday, the gathered police officers stood at parade rest for nearly an hour in the rain, waiting to salute Richey's wife, Carrie, and his children, Connor, 9, and Catherine, 6, as the trio entered Franklin Area High School for the funeral.
The girl held her mother's hand and clutched a large stuffed bear in her other hand as they walked past the salutes into the high school auditorium and down the aisle to where a trooper's campaign hat sat atop a flag-draped coffin in front of the stage. Connor, dressed in suit and tie, followed his mother and sister down the aisle, walking slowly, his head held high.
After the service, when Franklin State Police Station Commander Captain Mark Schau presented the hat to the family, Connor wore it proudly to the limousine that waited to take the family to a private graveside service.
The funeral was held in a 1,070-seat auditorium that was filled to standing room only. The service was broadcast live into an adjacent high school gymnasium where the overflow crowd gathered after family, friends and co-workers — some of whom had attended Nancy Frey-Smith's funeral a day earlier — filled the auditorium.
Mourners celebrated a man described as exemplifying the best in the community with his dedication to his faith and family and his mission to protect and serve.
Reading a eulogy compiled by Richey's family, the Rev. Lea Guiney talked of a family man.
"Carrie and Paul completed one another, and their children exemplified what was best in both of them," she said, noting that neighbors rarely saw Richey outside without one or both of his children and that the trooper saw his father every day.
Trooper Scott Mohnkern, a colleague who eulogized Richey, said Richey's volunteering to go on a call outside his zone was typical of the 16-year veteran trooper.
"When you give a eulogy, you're supposed say good things. In this case, that's easy because Paul symbolized all that was good in life.
"I can picture Paul, swiveling in his chair, saying 'I'll go. I know who we're dealing with. I'll go with you,' " Mohnkern said, his voice quivering as he fought back tears.
Brian Kelly, state police chaplain for Troop E, reiterated the tale, recalling Richey as a trooper who felt compelled to serve others.
"Paul did not have to go on that call. ... It was not his zone. ... It was not his call. Paul gave his life fulfilling the core of his calling. ... Trooper Paul Richey upheld the honor of the force," Kelly said.
Yesterday, the force honored him.
A bagpipe corps from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police blew their sad notes as state police pallbearers in ceremonial dress uniforms escorted the casket from the school.
The pallbearers stopped and carefully lifted the flag from the casket and folded it for State Police Commissioner Col. Frank Pawlowski to present to the Richey family. Pawlowski presented a second flag to Richey's parents, Nancy and Clinton Richey.
In the schoolyard nearby, a state police detail fired a 21-gun salute while hundreds of police officers saluted their fallen brother.
Finally, moments before a helicopter flyover, a pair of buglers blew taps.
Published on WTAE - January 17, 2010
FRANKLIN, Pa. -- Friends, family and colleagues converged Sunday in Franklin -- Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Paul Richey's hometown -- for a final farewell.
Hundreds of people gathered for a viewing Saturday, and for a funeral Sunday to honor a life of service that ended in the shooting of a state trooper on Wednesday.
Richey, 40, was shot to death while responding to a domestic call between Michael Smith and his wife, Nancy Frey-Smith, for whom visitation and a funeral were held Saturday.
Richey was a state trooper, a husband, a father and a friend for whom many shared memories and shed tears Sunday at a memorial service held at the trooper's alma mater, Franklin High School.
"Paul will never be replaced in their heart. We know he will be watching over them from above," said the Rev. Lea Guiney, pastor.
Hundreds of Pennsylvania state troopers were joined by fellow officers from all over the region. Standing at attention, they saluted Richey's casket and the family he leaves behind.
A 21-gun salute, performance of Taps and a helicopter flyover preceded a flag ceremony for Richey's wife, Carrie, and his parents.
A fund was established to help Richey's family, his wife and two children, Connor, 9 and Catherine, 6.
"He loved to be with his lovely wife, Carrie, his son, Connor, his wonderful daughter, Catherine and his mom and dad, Sam and Nancy," said Trooper Scott Mahnkern, of Troop E, the Franklin barracks where Richey was based.
"That was his world. From bragging about the pinewood derby car he was making with Connor, to the boat he wanted to buy to go fishing with his dad in Canada this summer."
Richey loved his job as a state police trooper. He volunteered for the call because he knew Smith from prior criminal run-ins. Relatives said Saturday he wouldn't shy away from a call.
"He was never one to step away. He'd step forward," said Andy Richey, a cousin. "It's tough, as you can imagine, but with the support of the Pennsylvania State Police family, our extended family, her extended family, we'll pitch in. We'll be there for them. It will be OK."
"Even if he had known what he was walking into that day, he would still go on that call," said Amy Richey, a cousin.
State police said Richey was shot by Michael Smith, who investigators said was "lying in wait" for officers responding to a domestic call at his rural home just outside his house in Oil City in Cranberry Township, Venango County. State police said Michael Smith shot Frey-Smith, then Richey, then himself.
Published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - January 17, 2010
The undeniably grim fact that some police inevitably will die while protecting the public is cold comfort indeed for law-abiding Pennsylvanians mourning the state trooper fatally shot on Wednesday and lamenting the terrible frequency with which their guardians lately have fallen in the line of duty.
The burden inherent in law enforcers' awe-inspiring willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good falls hardest on their families. Trooper Paul G. Richey's ambush killing while responding to a domestic dispute in Venango County had to plunge his widow and children -- ages 6 and 11 -- into grief nigh unfathomable.
The public's heartache -- fittingly expressed in condolences, contributions, prayers -- is greater for Trooper Richey being the latest victim of a trend all too evident and abominable. Dangers all too real dictate that police no longer can -- or should -- be counselors to domestic disputants. Yet still they do their duty.
Whatever greater deterrents society might attempt to legislate, it will need selfless heroes such as Trooper Richey so long as human nature remains unchanged. Thank God for him and for all who honorably serve. And may his family ultimately find a measure of the peace in which he now deserves to rest.
Published on KDKA - January 17, 2010
"The outstretched hand of the law enforcement family is just incredible." --Andy Richey, Trooper Richey's cousin
There was a massive outpouring of support today for the family of the state trooper who was gunned down earlier this week in Venango County.
Visitation started today at the Gardinier Funeral Home in Franklin for fallen Trooper Paul Richey.
A long line formed this afternoon before the small funeral home even opened its doors, hundreds and hundreds of people lined the street just outside.
Law enforcement officers, family, friends and people who just wanted to pay their respects showed up to support the slain trooper's family.
"The whole community's hearts and thoughts are with this family," said Alison Friedhader, a family friend of the Richeys.
Trooper Richey was shot and killed Wednesday while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Cranberry Township. Police have called the deadly shooting an "ambush."
The suspect, Michael Smith, is believed to have also shot and killed his wife, Nancy Frey-Smith, before turning the gun on himself.
Unfortunately, it is a scene that has become all too familiar in western Pennsylvania as another officer is shot down and killed.
"It's just a terrible thing that happened and we're all in sorrow over it," said Kneal Wiegel, another family friend. "It shouldn't have happened."
As the day moved on and the temperatures dropped, no one moved out of the slow moving line as they all wanted to pay their respects to Trooper Richey.
Police from all over the region came to Franklin Saturday to show their support and a contingent of Pittsburgh officers was among them.
"This is a chance to show your respect to the officer who was killed and also to their family and to the officers that they work with on a daily basis," said Officer Cristyn Zett, of the Pittsburgh Police Department. "You're able to let them know that your sorry for them, you're thinking about them, you're here if they need anything."
And Trooper Richey's relatives were touched by the support.
"The outstretched hand of the law enforcement family is just incredible and I know it's comforting to me and other members of the family they're there… to help us if we need anything," said Andy Richey, the victim's cousin.
At least 1,500 officers from across the country are expected in Venango County on Sunday for Trooper Richey's funeral service at the Franklin High School Auditorium.
Published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - January 17, 2010
Hundreds of solemn mourners, including police officers from Pennsylvania and neighboring states, waited for hours Saturday to pay their respects to state police Trooper Paul G. Richey, who was ambushed while responding to a domestic dispute.
"It's just senseless," said Sue King, 37, a friend of Richey's wife, Carrie. "He was a really good guy. He was a family guy. Her life is never going to be the same."
Richey, 40, was shot and killed Wednesday while responding to a call for help at the home of Michael Smith, 44, and Nancy Frey-Smith, 56, in Cranberry, Venango County. Police said Smith killed his wife and shot Richey as he approached the house. Smith then killed himself.
"It's like somebody kicked you in the stomach. In this day and age, stuff like this shouldn't happen," said King's husband, Les King, 57. "Paul was a nice guy. Once he pulled me over and let me go. He told me to use the money that I would've paid for the fine to take my wife out to dinner."
The line was around the block waiting to get into the Gardinier Funeral Home in Franklin before the doors opened at 2 p.m.
A full-honor military funeral service will be conducted at 3 p.m. today in the Franklin Senior High School, 246 Pone Lane. Richey leaves behind two children -- son, Connor 11, and daughter, Catherine, 6.
The killings rocked the surrounding communities. Several flags around Franklin flew at half-staff yesterday.
"I believe our whole county is affected by this. We're a small county. We all know each other," said Darius Teslovich, 51, of Franklin, as he waited in line. He knew both the Smiths and Richey and planned to attend Frey-Smith's viewing after leaving the funeral home for Richey. Her funeral was scheduled for yesterday afternoon.
"All I can do is pray for all three souls," he said.
Police said Richey, a 16-year veteran, and Trooper Jason Whitman responded to a call in the rural, heavily wooded community about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Police said Smith yelled from the two-story house for the troopers to return to their vehicles, but the officers ordered him to come out of the home. As Richey approached a side door of the house, he was shot in the upper torso above his protective vest, police said.
Whitman's parents waited in line yesterday with mixed emotions.
"We're just grateful to God for our son, but we have deep sorrow (for Richey)," said Diane Whitman, 57, of Cooperstown in Venango County.
New Jersey state police Trooper Charlie Makatura and Trooper Lou Crisafulli drove about five hours to get to the funeral home.
"It's always a show of support," said Makatura.
Several Pittsburgh police officers attended yesterday's viewing. More are expected at today's funeral. In April, law enforcement officials from around the country attended the funerals of Pittsburgh police Officers Eric G. Kelly, Stephen J. Mayhle and Paul J. Sciullo II, who were shot to death responding to a domestic call in Stanton Heights.
"We're just paying our respects for the family and the troopers," said Pittsburgh police Officer Cristyn Zett. "It's a professional courtesy."
Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - January 17, 2010
Pennsylvania state troopers line up for visitation services for slain Trooper Paul Richey yesterday at the Gardinier Funeral Home in Franklin.FRANKLIN, Pa. -- Hundreds of people waited two hours or more yesterday to pay final respects to a state trooper who was ambushed and killed while responding to a domestic dispute in Venango County.
More than 300 people already were lined up along Chestnut Street before visitation started at the Gardinier Funeral Home for Trooper Paul G. Richey, 40, who was shot to death Wednesday. Police said Michael J. Smith, 44, shot Trooper Richey before killing himself at his home in Cranberry.
Investigators believe Mr. Smith had used the same rifle to shoot and kill his wife, Nancy, before Trooper Richey and his partner, Trooper Jason Whitman, arrived at his house on Bredinsburg Road. Trooper Whitman was not injured.
Yesterday, mourners waited patiently outside the funeral home throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Those standing on slushy sidewalks in 35-degree temperatures included the 16-year veteran's friends and neighbors from Venango County and police officers from across Pennsylvania and neighboring states.
"He was a good man, a good father and a good trooper," his cousin Andy Richey said.
Trooper Richey's family was gratified that so many people had come out to honor him, he added.
"It's great to see the outstretched hand of law enforcement," he said, referring to the large number of police who attended the viewing. Among them were Pittsburgh police Detective Cristyn Zett and many of her colleagues.
"We wanted to make sure Trooper Richey and the state police see the same kind of support we received," she said.
Pittsburgh lost three of its officers who were responding to a similar disturbance call in April in Stanton Heights. Penn Hills Officer Michael Crawshaw also was shot and killed last month, making Trooper Richey the fifth officer from Western Pennsylvania to be killed while on duty in just nine months..
More than a dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders stood in a line across the street from the funeral home. Each was holding a large American flag displayed on a 6-foot-tall staff. Members of the group, who are mostly veterans and motorcyclists, also stand guard at military funerals,
"Our mission is to respect fallen heroes like this gentleman," said Lee Wentling, of Franklin.
An even larger crowd, including 1,500 police officers from as far away as Alaska and California, is expected for the trooper's funeral service today, according to state police Lt. Myra Taylor. The funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Franklin High School auditorium.
Visitation and a funeral for Mrs. Smith also took place yesterday at Huff Chapel a few blocks away from the Gardinier funeral home. Family members who gathered outside the chapel asked for privacy.
Police have said that the shooting suspect, Mr. Smith, was mentally ill and that troopers had been called to his home on other occasions. Trooper Richey had volunteered to handle the call on Wednesday.
He was wearing his bulletproof vest when he was struck by a single bullet in the neck.
Andy Richey's wife, Amy, said she was not surprised that he would take on that risk.
"He had dealt with that guy before," she said.
"He was a very good policeman and a very good neighbor," said Alphonso Lauricia, 75, whose family lived near Trooper Richey's family for 18 years in nearby rural Sandycreek.
"He was a fair-minded cop," Mr. Lauricia said. "He would give you a break if he could."
He described Trooper Richey as "a quiet kid" who enjoyed outdoor activities, including exploring the township's woods and fields.
"From about age 8 we grew up together," Andy Richey said. "We hunted, fished and played together."
Trooper Richey was delighted to be assigned to the state police barracks at Franklin, near his parents and other relatives, his cousin said. He leaves behind his wife, Carrie, and two children, Connor, 9, and Catherine, 6.
"We have a very close-knit family," Amy Richey said. "We will be there for Carrie and the kids."
Published on WTAE - January 16, 2010
FRANKLIN, Pa. -- Services will be held this weekend for Trooper Paul Richey and Nancy Frey-Smith.
Trooper Richey's viewing will be held at the Gardinier Funeral Home at 1315 Chestnut St. in Franklin, Pa., from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.
His funeral service will take place at Franklin Senior High School at 246 Pone Lane in Franklin at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Friends and family of Nancy Frey-Smith will be received Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Huff Chapel in Franklin. Her funeral will follow immediately after.
Frey-Smith worked for the A. Crivelli Chevrolet dealership on Route 8 for 16 years as the customer delivery coordinator. Channel 4 Action News reporter Janelle Hall reported co-workers affectionately called Frey-Smith "NASCAR Nancy" because of her love of the sport.
Pennsylvania State Police said Trooper Paul Richey was shot by Michael Smith, who investigators said was "lying in wait" for officers responding to a domestic call at his rural home just outside his house in Oil City in Cranberry Township, Venango County.
Police said Richey, 40, was shot after arriving at 44-year-old Michael Smith's hilltop house on Bredinsburg Road near the Allegheny River late Wednesday morning. Smith and his wife, Nancy, were later found dead in what police believe was a murder-suicide.
Published in the New York Times - January 14, 2010
FRANKLIN, Pa. (AP) -- A suicidal man made an improvised sniper's ''perch'' in an upstairs bedroom so he could fatally shoot a state trooper who volunteered to investigate a domestic-abuse report because he had previous contact with the gunman, the state police commissioner said Thursday.
Michael J. Smith, 44, arranged folded towels and blankets on a corner table to steady a scope-equipped .30-30 hunting rifle that police believe he used to shoot Trooper Paul Richey in the neck, above his bulletproof vest, late Wednesday morning, Col. Frank Pawlowski said.
''This was a premeditated event. This was an ambush,'' Pawlowski said. Smith positioned himself so he could fire his weapon from a vantage point some distance back from an open window that let him see the approaching troopers without them seeing him, Pawlowski said.
Police believe Smith used the same weapon to kill his 53-year-old wife, Nancy Frey-Smith, and himself. Her body was found in a bedroom chair and his, still clutching the gun, was near the foot of the bed, Pawlowski said.
Pawlowski said it's likely Smith shot his wife before shooting Richey, because there's no sign she tried to stop the shooting or warn the troopers.
Autopsy and ballistics results are needed to confirm the rifle was the weapon used in all three deaths.
The rifle is the same one Smith used to threaten his wife 13 years ago, Pawlowski said. Police want to determine how the weapon was returned to Smith because it had been seized under a protection-from-abuse order issued in 1997.
''That will be part of our investigation,'' Pawlowski said. ''I'm at a loss right now, to be honest with you. But I'm not happy about it.''
Pawlowski said Smith had mental health issues and was known to have neighborhood disputes, though none were violent or otherwise sent up ''red flags.'' Pawlowski said Frey-Smith had done a ''pretty good job of controlling her husband and calming him down'' in the past, and that the family chose to deal with his unpredictable ways by themselves.
On Wednesday, Smith's 44th birthday, Frey-Smith's sister called police to express concern for her sister's safety. Richey, 40, of Franklin, volunteered to accompany another trooper on the call because he knew Smith -- likely because Richey grew up nearby and had encountered Smith during other disturbance calls at the house.
Frey-Smith's sister said the woman told her in a phone call that she wasn't going to work because Smith was in ''one of his moods,'' according to a police search warrant affidavit.
The sister then spoke to Frey-Smith's boss, who said she reported having been assaulted by her husband. The sister called back and spoke to the couple, saying she was coming over to see her sister.
Rodgers said Michael Smith told her ''she shouldn't bother coming and that she had 'just signed Nancy's death warrant,''' the affidavit said. Rodgers then called police.
This week wasn't the first time Michael Smith threatened to kill his wife or the first time that her employer, A. Crivelli Chevrolet in nearby Sugarcreek Township, was made aware of her husband's violent ways, according to 13-year-old court records.
On March 28, 1997, Smith went to the dealership looking for his wife with the same rifle and threatened himself and several officers before being arrested.
Prosecutors later dropped all charges, except a stalking count to which Smith pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to three years' probation and surrendered his weapons, but successfully petitioned to have them returned in 2000 once his probation was over.
A companion protection-from-abuse request filed by his wife in 1997 said Smith put a gun in his mouth and ''attempted to get in the door where I was'' at the dealership.
''Prior to the incident, he had told me on the phone that he intended to get drunk and do some coke,'' Frey-Smith wrote in the protection request, which was granted.
Frey-Smith was a customer delivery coordinator for the dealership and had worked there for 16 years. Michael Crivelli, whose father owns the business, said he wasn't aware of any problems between the couple beyond the 1997 encounter and Wednesday, when she told him that her husband had assaulted her.
''It may seem odd, but as far as her bringing any personal problems into the store, there wasn't any,'' Crivelli said Thursday.
The 1997 court records show that Smith entered a drug treatment center and that his wife later petitioned the court for permission to see him and to meet with a marriage counselor.
Trooper Richey is survived by his wife, Carrie, and two children, Connor, 9, and Catherine, 6. Funeral arrangements were still pending Thursday.
A colleague, Cpl. Richard Wadlow, remembered Richey as ''dedicated and reliable'' and said the inside door of his locker was covered with family pictures. Fellow troopers ''unanimously agreed that Trooper Richey loved his family, his wife, children, his parents.''
''The Franklin station lost a friend,'' Wadlow said, his voice breaking, ''a brother, and a trooper.''
Published in the New York Times - January 13, 2010
CRANBERRY, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania state police believe a man fatally ambushed a state trooper responding to a domestic dispute, and also killed his wife before turning the gun on himself, investigators said Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy said a man police couldn't see yelled from a window as two troopers responded to a dispute at the home of Michael J. Smith, 44, shortly after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
When the troopers yelled back for the man to present himself, a man they believe is Smith instead fired one shot, striking Trooper Paul G. Richey as he attempted to enter a side door, according to Bandy.
''Trooper Richey did not have a chance to defend himself,'' Bandy said at a news conference Wednesday night. ''He was ambushed.''
A second trooper radioed for backup and other troopers responded and fired multiple shots at the house to provide cover for crews to remove Richey's body from the scene. The trooper was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The shooting prompted a precautionary manhunt because, although troopers believed Smith and his wife remained in the residence, they could not be sure of that at the time, Bandy said.
By 6:15 p.m., authorities were satisfied that it was likely that the suspect was in the home and they entered to find Smith and his wife, 53-year-old Nancy Smith, both dead of gunshot wounds, police said. Although ballistic and autopsy results are still pending, Bandy said it's most likely that Smith killed the trooper and his wife before killing himself.
Police don't know if Smith killed his wife before or after he killed the trooper, Bandy said.
Bandy said that although troopers fired at the house, there is no indication that any of those bullets hit the Smiths.
Richey, 40, of Franklin, is survived by a wife and two young children.
''Trooper Richey sacrificed his life rather than swerve from the path of duty,'' state Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said in a statement. ''We will not forget his service or his sacrifice.''
Paul Solle, 83, who lives about three-quarters of a mile from Smith's home, said hundreds of officers were in the area. He said he was heeding their advice to stay inside, where he was watching coverage of the shooting on TV.
Solle said he knew who Smith was but didn't know him well.
''He just seemed like an average guy to me,'' Solle said. ''The neighbors don't associate here, not that they don't get along, it's just that they do their own thing.''
Earlier in the day, a high school and elementary school were on lockdown, though children were being taken home two busses at a time or allowed to leave if their parents picked them up.
Clarion University's Venango campus also was put on lockdown. On its Web site, the university cautioned students to avoid the area or ''secure yourself in a safe place and wait for police.''
Gov. Ed Rendell called the shooting a tragedy and ordered flags on state buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of Richey.
Richey is the 93rd member of the state police to be killed in the line of duty. His death comes about seven months after the agency's last fatal shooting. Trooper Joshua D. Miller was killed in June during the rescue of a kidnapped child in Monroe County.
Published in theMiami Herald - January 13, 2010
CRANBERRY, Pa. -- A state trooper responding to a domestic call at a rural home Wednesday was fatally shot as he got out of his cruiser, and a search was on for the gunman.
Trooper Paul G. Richey, a 16-year veteran assigned to the Franklin barracks, and another trooper arrived at the home at about 11:30 a.m. when a shot was fired from inside, killing Richey.
"Trooper Richey sacrificed his life rather than swerve from the path of duty," state Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said in a statement. "We will not forget his service or his sacrifice."
Richey, 40, of Franklin, is survived by a wife and two young children.
The shooting happened in a rural, heavily wooded area outside Oil City, about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh. Dozens of state police cruisers, many unmarked, quickly converged on the area and remained there hours later blocking roads and searching cars.
Police did not immediately release the name of a suspect. However, officers were showing motorists the driver's license picture of Michael Smith, who lives on the road where the shooting occurred.
Paul Solle, 83, who lives about three-quarters of a mile from Smith's home, said hundreds of officers were in the area. He said he was heeding their advice to stay inside, where he was watching coverage of the shooting on TV.
Solle said he knew who Smith was but didn't know him well.
"He just seemed like an average guy to me," Solle said. "The neighbors don't associate here, not that they don't get along, it's just that they do their own thing."
Earlier in the day, a high school and elementary school were on lockdown, though children were being taken home two busses at a time or allowed to leave if their parents picked them up.
Clarion University's Venango campus also was put on lockdown. On its Web site, the university cautioned students to avoid the area or "secure yourself in a safe place and wait for police."
Gov. Ed Rendell called the shooting a tragedy and ordered flags on state buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of Richey.
Richey is the 93rd member of the state police to be killed in the line of duty. His death comes about seven months after the agency's last fatal shooting. Trooper Joshua D. Miller was killed in June during the rescue of a kidnapped child in Monroe County.
Governor Rendell Offers Condolences on Death of State Police Trooper; Orders Flags to Half-Staff
Published onPRNewswire - January 13, 2010
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Governor Edward G. Rendell offered his condolences to the family and friends of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Paul G. Richey, 40, who died as the result of a gunshot wound suffered during an incident today in Venango County.
"A 16-year veteran of the force, Trooper Richey was struck down while carrying out his sworn duty to protect our citizens," Governor Rendell said. "This is a tragedy for the Pennsylvania State Police and the commonwealth. Midge and I join with Pennsylvania's citizens in extending our deepest sympathies to Trooper Richey's wife, Carrie, and their two children. The trooper's sacrifice will never be forgotten."
Governor Rendell ordered that all flags at commonwealth facilities throughout state should be flown at half-staff in honor of Trooper Richey until his interment.
State police said Trooper Richey was struck and killed by a shot fired from a residence in Cranberry Township, Venango County, around 11:45 a.m. Richey had responded to the residence for a reported domestic incident and was struck by the bullet after exiting his vehicle.
Trooper Richey was assigned to the patrol unit at the state police Troop E station in Franklin, Venango County. He and his family resided in Franklin.
Trooper Richey enlisted in the state police on May 17, 1993. He graduated from the State Police Academy in Hershey on Nov. 10, 1993, and was assigned to the Troop F station in Milton, Northumberland County. He transferred to the Troop E station at Corry, Erie County, on Oct. 19, 1996, and to the Franklin station on May 17, 1997.
Trooper Richey is the 93rd member of the department to die in the line of duty since the force was established in 1905. His death came a little more than seven months after the shooting death of Trooper Joshua D. Miller of Troop N, Swiftwater, who was killed during the rescue of a kidnapped child on June 7, 2009, in Monroe County.
Published onWTAE - January 13, 2010
Massive Search Ends In Rural Cranberry Township After Shooting
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A man sought in the fatal shooting of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper Wednesday was found dead alongside his wife's body inside the couple's house just outside Oil City in Cranberry Township, Venango County, about 90 miles from Pittsburgh in northwestern Pennsylvania, a law enforcement source told Channel 4 Action News.
Police said Trooper Paul G. Richey, 40, was shot after arriving at a house on Bredinsburg Road and getting out of his car at about 11:45 a.m. He was with Trooper Jason Whitman, who was not shot.
Dozens of troopers responded to the shooting and blocked the road, as well as a cross street, Deep Hollow Road. No arrests were immediately made, prompting a large-scale search.
An elected official in the county told Channel 4 Action News that law enforcement departments identified the suspect as Michael J. Smith, 44. He lives in the house where the shooting happened, along with his wife.
A law enforcement source told Channel 4 Action News that SWAT officers who entered the house found Smith and his wife dead inside.
A Channel 4 Action News crew is at the shooting scene. Look for updates on this page and watch our report tonight on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 11 p.m.
Police went door-to-door, showing a picture of Smith to people who live in the area, warning people in the Bouquin Circle section of Oil City that he's believed to be armed and dangerous.
A friend of Smith's wife said that the man "has been on disability" and described him as an outdoorsman who lives off his property by hunting and fishing.
At least 50 cars were seen lined up on the rural street in an extremely wooded area on a hilltop above the Oil City-Franklin bike trail, which runs along the Allegheny River. The Pittsburgh Police Bureau said its special response team is also responding. Deputy coroner Chris Hile said that the trooper was taken from the crime scene and pronounced dead at UPMC Northwest Hospital.
Police have not released any details of the domestic incident that preceded the fatal shooting, nor have they officially confirmed that Smith is a suspect in Richey's killing.
In Memory of Trooper Paul Richey
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