'I couldn't believe how fast everything happened'
With a bullet lodged in his shoulder and blood seeping through his blue uniform, Neville police Sgt. Charles Ammon squeezed off two shots at the driver speeding away.
He missed.
"I can't believe I didn't hit the car," Ammon, 55, said Tuesday at his home, his left arm in a sling and the bullet still in his shoulder. He was released yesterday from Allegheny General Hospital, North Side, after being shot Sunday while on duty.
Ammon, who has lived in Neville Island all his life, was the first officer in the department's history to be shot, and the incident was the first time Ammon fired at another person.
"Well, if I see the car again, I'll make sure to put a couple holes in it," he said, joking, from his living room couch, surrounded by smiling family portraits and pictures from his travels around the world. By his side was the family's terrier mix, Jessie.
"She missed me while I was gone," Ammon said. The bullet, which is to be removed in about two weeks, hit him just centimeters above his protective vest.
Allegheny County police still are looking for the man who shot Ammon. The shooter was driving a stolen green 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon, which was found Monday in Stowe. Police said yesterday they have questioned suspects but not made any arrests. The culprit is described only as a white man with dark hair.
The incident happened at 9:55 p.m. when Ammon responded to a call of a car pulled off to the side of Neville Road.
"I knew something was wrong when I got there," Ammon said. "The red flags went immediately up. When I got there, I could see he was nervous. When someone is broken down, they're glad to see you. This guy wasn't."
Ammon checked the car's license plate, but the theft hadn't been reported yet.
Ammon said he approached the driver's side window when he saw how suspicious the driver was acting. He said the driver turned down his offer of help. As Ammon started to back up to get into his cruiser, the driver whipped out a gun and started shooting.
"I couldn't believe how fast everything happened," he said. "He got that gun out so fast. I remember getting hit and spun around. I was totally surprised. My shoulder was numb; I wasn't sure where I was hurt. The wound wouldn't stop bleeding."
After he was shot, Ammon radioed for help. Before paramedics arrived, two nurses who happened to be traveling along Neville Road stopped and helped him.
Ammon has been with the department for almost 33 years -- his entire police career. He is eligible to retire April 7 but said he has no intentions of quitting.
He said this shooting is an example of how dangerous police work can be.
"People think Neville Island has less crime, but this can happen anywhere," he said.
Additional Information:
Recent shootings
Shootings of local police officers since 1995:
June 25, 2003: Forest Hills Officer Ed Limbacher was shot in the stomach during a drug bust at the Forest Hills Plaza Shopping Center. Courtney Cox, 18, of the Hill District, was charged with the shooting. The bullet pierced Limbacher's protective vest.
June 22, 2003: Scott police Officer Jeffrey Francis was hit in the hand during a shootout in Carnegie. Donald Eubanks, 30, of Carnegie, was charged.
June 13, 2003: Pittsburgh Officer Michael Kritley was shot in the foot from the roof of a home. Rodney Mathews, of Marshal-Shadeland, was charged.
June 26, 2002: Mt. Lebanon Officer Daniel Rieg was shot in the chest but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest. Former Carnegie Mellon University professor Edward Constant II is on trial for the shooting.
Oct. 24, 2002: West Mifflin Officer Daniel Booth was hit in the leg after a shootout at the Mifflin Estates apartment complex.
Feb. 20, 2002: Pittsburgh Police Cmdr. Dom Costa and SWAT officer Thomas Huerbin were shot during a standoff with Cecil Brookins in Homewood. Costa still is off work with a bullet lodged in his neck but Huerbin's vest stopped several slugs.
March 15, 2001: Aliquippa Officer James Naim, 32, of Hopewell, Beaver County, was shot to death while patrolling the Linmar Terrace housing complex in Aliquippa. Acey Taylor III, 17, and Jamie M. Brown, 23, both of Aliquippa, were charged with homicide. Brown was convicted and sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. Taylor was acquitted.
April 20, 2000: Pittsburgh Officer Chris Wydra was shot three times. His bulletproof vest stopped two bullets; the third hit him on the side.
Oct. 19, 2000: Clairton Officer John Dunlap, 27, was shot three times -- in his arm, leg and side. Ben Johnson, 38, of Clairton, later was charged.
April 23, 1998: Homestead police Officer Scott McCarthy was shot in the neck when investigating the report of gunfire.
July 26, 1996: Two off-duty Pittsburgh Housing Authority officers, Sgt. Randy Roberts and Officer Derrick Williams, were shot in the face after a confrontation with a man in a Strip District diner.
Dec. 27, 1995: Pittsburgh Officer Patrick Harlan was hit four times during a shootout with a suspected drug dealer in the East End.
Sept. 25, 1995: Pittsburgh police Sgt. James Taylor Jr. was shot and killed after he confronted gang members spraying graffiti in Lincoln-Lemington.
Source: Pittsburgh-Tribune Review research and National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
