Peduto to meet with family of homeowner killed by Pittsburgh police

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he plans to express sympathy and offer assistance to the family of a Larimer man shot dead in his home Sunday by city police investigating a break-in.

Peduto said he and acting police Chief Scott Schubert will meet with the family of Christopher Thompkins, 57, on Tuesday. Two police officers reported hearing gunshots and seeing a man inside the house firing in their direction before they returned fire and killed Thompkins.

Peduto said the family was making funeral arrangements Monday.

“I just want to go over to see them, the widow and mother as well, just to let them know that our hearts are with them,” the mayor said. “This is a tragedy, and the city's here to help them with what they might need during this difficult time.”

Peduto said the Allegheny County District Attorney's office is leading the investigation. He declined to provide details. Mike Manko, spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., declined comment.

County officials also denied requests for the officers' identities, recordings of 911 calls made from the house, details about Thompkins' autopsy or say whether the incident was recorded by surveillance cameras.

“We're just cooperating with any information they may need,” Peduto said of the DA's office. “Zone 5 (officers) and police command staff have been in touch with community leaders to give as much information as possible, and I was in touch on Sunday with both (City Councilman Ricky) Burgess and state Rep. (Ed) Gainey just to give them as much information that was available.”

Schubert released a statement saying he hoped to provide details as soon as possible. He described the situation as “a horrible chain of events” and said investigators have reviewed all video and 911 calls and scheduled interviews with the two officers.

“It's difficult to find the words to describe the amount of empathy that I have for both the family of Christopher Thompkins and the two officers who were involved in the shooting,” Schubert said. “There are a lot of questions that we cannot immediately answer because we are currently reviewing the incident with the oversight of the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office.”

Gainey, D-Lincoln-Lemington, said Peduto briefed him Sunday and he intends to seek more details when he returns from Harrisburg this week.

“This is a heavy blow,” he said. “Before I make any statement I want to know all the facts.”

Burgess could not be reached.

Police on Sunday charged Juan Brian Jeter-Clark, 23, who lists addresses in Beltzhoover and Mt. Oliver, with trespassing in Thompkins' home. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail after failing to post $50,000 straight bond.

Two officers from the Zone 5 station arrived at Thompkins' house shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a break-in. They reported hearing shots and seeing a man walking down the stairs inside the house and firing a gun in their direction, according to a criminal complaint filed against Jeter-Clark.

They returned fire and fatally shot Thompkins.

They arrested Jeter-Clark after finding him in a living room near the foot of the staircase, according to the complaint. The officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in such incidents.

Thompkins' ex-wife, Brenda Thompkins, said she awoke Sunday to find a stranger standing near the bed in which she and Christopher Thompkins were sleeping on the second floor of the house. She said she and Christopher Thompkins reconciled about seven years ago.

Startled, they jumped out of bed and the intruder fled the room, she said.

Thompkins said her ex-husband was concerned about his mother, who was in a room on the first floor. He retrieved a gun, which she said she is licensed to carry, from her purse and left the room, telling her “my mother's downstairs,” according to the complaint. He also told her to call police.

Minutes later, she heard two gunshots, according to the complaint.

“They shot the wrong guy,” Thompkins, 51, of Penn Hills, told the Tribune-Review on Sunday. “He didn't want to hurt no cops. He was trying to save his mother.”

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312 or bbauder@tribweb.com.