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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Morganelli to Review Police Shooting Death With PSP on Monday

Richard Scheuermann, from Wilson Borough, died in late October after a police chase that went through several municipalities and only ended when he collided with a pole at 13th and Spring Garden in Easton. Police form both Easton and Palmer Tp fired several shots when he backed his vehicle from the pole,in what may have been an effort to run over police officers. It is unclear whether he died as a result of gunshot wounds or from stabbing himself in the neck.

The officers who shot at Scheuermann were placed on administrative leave, and the matter has been investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Late this afternoon, DA John Morganelli's office issued this statement: "Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has scheduled a joint meeting with Pennsylvania State Police investigators and the Office of Northampton County Coroner for Monday December 8, 2014 to review the investigation into the death of Richard Scheuermann that ocurred in Easton, Pennsylvania. At that time DA Morganelli will determine whether there is a need for any additional investigation or whether the matter is ripe for a determination as to all issues surrounding the matter."

20 comments:

Peter J.Cochran said...

OK , I will lead off here. This character was on a binge.No regard for oncoming traffic ,could have killed people with his truck before he smacked a non-moving poll .Ok Who's fault is that ? Now he attempts to back out or away from that immovable poll and hits a parked police vehicle. He is nuts by now he has a knife ,officers see it they are perpendicular to the vehicle , they fire,two different venue officers toward that man .Their batting average at point blank range is 100.Question will be was it justified. I say YES IT WAS ,this actor was out of control and he needed to be put down as a result.

Anonymous said...

Really I hope you dont find yourself in the same spot. Your family may think differently

Anonymous said...

John's been too busy appearing on tabloid cable shows. He' doesn't give a shit about any victim or family. What a disgusting man.

Bernie O'Hare said...

John did not tell that woman anything different than what he said when he announced this arrest.He said then that there may be a sexual element. People are understandably turned off by the suggestion, but that is not the DA's fault.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Some of you will argue that the POLICE should have Tarazed him .well that was not probable under the conditions. The body exposure sitting in a truck only exposes a small amount of body mass and that shot with an electric devise is nearly impossible.I am a U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Expert and U.S.Army Firearms Expert,and NRA High Power Rifle Expert and an 8 year Combat, Governors Twenty here in Pa. Could they wait him out ?Well ,consider this ,he would have gained traction in a 4 w d truck and run over the officers or even slipped away to only hit a pedestrian one block away. Could have happened! I say yes.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I am drawing no conclusions until I have more facts.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Non of can Bernie, I think that the facts will be what they are . No one wants to see a relative or friend killed by anyone .My heart goes out to the children ,they are the victims in the end.God bless them.

Anonymous said...

Don't spin facts for Morganelli. You're being dishonest. Morganelli was a lot more specific on the sleazy cable show than he was at his press conference - a lot more. What possible good or public interest of any kind was served by revealing the details he did on a tawdry tabloid show? His appearing at all was disgraceful. Revealing what he did was vicious to the victim's family. Politicians are really the lowest of the low and Morganelli represents his shitty political breed well.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I did not watch the sleazy cable show. I leave that to people like you, who were not at the news conference. I read news accounts of the interview, and what he told the host is basically what he said at his news conference. He indicated then that there may be a sexual element, and added that he wasn't sure if there was sex before or after death. he added that he didn't know how much he was willing to buy into the story. In my own account, i noted Morganelli's remark that there might be a sexual element. I believe a suggestion of sex with a corpse is going to turn a lot of people off, but it has to be explored bc something like that was obviously said. Crime is ugly. You are beating up a DA who has personally assumed responsibility for this prosecution, something he does not have to do, and who is honestly informing the public as much as he can. I have no problem with what he did. The story that this missing woman is dead was enough, by itself, to draw the attention of Channels 3, 6, 10, 13, 29 and 69. This "sexual aspect", and those are his words from my notes, was revealed at the initial new conference.

Anonymous said...

As a person looking at both angles. Why didn't the police off the "pursuit" shortly after it began? The initial infraction was a minor traffic violation. The police knew who he was. They knew where he lived. At the time of the MVA the suspect ' s vehicle was stuck on the broken half of the pole. Give the photos in the paper. It would appear that a bullet hole mad entry from the outside passenger door. In order for the use of force continuum section (Deadly force) a person must be able to be a threat to others. 1. They need the ability. 2. They need the path. 3. They need the opportunity. If the person is inside the vehicle with with a knife, then how can you say you feared for your life when the door was still closed, the vehicle was disabled, and according to the radio dispatch recordings the man was committing self inflicting knife wounds to his own neck. How could you justify that you shot him in order to stop him from stabbing himself? The other question should be was police procedures violated in this pursuit or course of action by the police officers? I mean after all both Easton and Palmer P.D. are accredited now right?

Bernie O'Hare said...

I think it wise to wait until we know the facts. I would not Rush to any conclusion, either way.

Anonymous said...

No class by going on the Nancy Grace show. A shameless self-promoter. Why put the family though this just for another TV pop.

Anonymous said...

Simply appearing on Nancy Grace is a terrible thing to do to the family. What public interest was served?

KK said...

AG wannabee/nancy gross - snicker, snicker boy has lost all his creds

Anonymous said...

They didn't cut off the pursuit because he was a danger to the public. He was driving on the wrong side of the road initially and then tried to run down pedestrians. As for what happened once the vehicle had crashed is unclear. All I know for certain was this man had a history of violence that started before he actually went to jail for his actions. People always want to forget that.

Anonymous said...

I feel for the family but even they gave him more chances than he deserved. Ask his Sister why they had a falling out. She doesn't want to tell people he beat her so badly she jumped out of a 2nd story window to get away from him.

Anonymous said...

"As a person looking at both angles. Why didn't the police off the "pursuit" shortly after it began? The initial infraction was a minor traffic violation. The police knew who he was. They knew where he lived. At the time of the MVA the suspect ' s vehicle was stuck on the broken half of the pole. Give the photos in the paper. It would appear that a bullet hole mad entry from the outside passenger door. In order for the use of force continuum section (Deadly force) a person must be able to be a threat to others. 1. They need the ability. 2. They need the path. 3. They need the opportunity."

Last I checked driving the WRONG WAY down the street is not a "minor violation". It is a very dangerous situation. Had they ended the pursuit, and he ended up killing someone you would be up in arms as to why they didn't stop him.

He was a threat to others, ABILITY= a 2 ton truck, a PATH= backing off the pole (which he was attempting to do by ramming the police car). OPPORTUNITY= he was in a 2 ton truck which was running, and he still had the ability to ram the police vehicle several times over. They weren't necessarily in fear of the knife. How is it people fail to realize that a vehicle is just as much a weapon as a gun, or a knife??

I am not familiar with the policies as it pertained to continuing the chase, although it would be reasonable to believe if the officers saw him as a threat to cause serious injury or bodily harm to himself or others with the way he was driving, that they were in the right to continue the pursuit.

At no point was the vehicle deemed to be "disabled" if it were, he wouldn't have had the ability to ram a police vehicle.



Bernie O'Hare said...

"What public interest was served?"

Informing the public.

Anonymous said...

I thought a press conference was already held in front in front of local and state media. What interest was served by appearing on a national tabloid show?

Anonymous said...

Amen @8:37 AM. I am sick of people not being responsible for their own actions. It's always someone else's fault. I personally don't want myself or a family member injured or killed because some ahole shouldn't be driving while drunk, high or whatever he was. If he hit or killed someone else, the same people would be bitching that the cops didn't do something.