On February 3, 2009, 31-year-old Paul Palmer of Pittsburgh’s North Side was fatally shot by a Pittsburgh police officer after a disturbance at a boarding house on Maple Avenue in the Perry South neighborhood. Neighbors had reported Palmer had passed out while cooking and was locked out; he later re-entered the second-floor bedroom by way of the roof and became involved in an argument with another resident.

Officers tried to de-escalate, but Palmer went into his bedroom, grabbed a backpack and would not show his hands. He then jumped from a window, ran toward North Charles Street and confronted a woman in the yard. Backup officers observed him armed with a loaded .357 revolver; he refused commands to drop the weapon and pointed it at officers. One officer fired, striking Palmer in the head, chest and leg. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave while the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office investigated.

Were there witnesses on Maple Avenue or North Charles Street that night who can add detail about what happened before officers arrived?