Three Pittsburgh police officers involved in a weekend shootout with a drug suspect were cleared to return to work Monday as the man accused of shooting at them remained hospitalized with a leg wound. Chief Robert W. McNeilly Jr. said he believes the three narcotics detectives acted properly when they shot at Michael T. Brown, 24, of Beechview, after he fired at them on Forbes Avenue, Uptown. City homicide detectives are investigating the shooting under the supervision of the Allegheny County District Attorney's office. Detectives Jason Snyder, Mark Goob and Joseph Novakowski were conducting undercover surveillance for a drug probe in the 1700 block of Fifth Avenue late Friday when they saw Brown, who was wanted on an unspecified arrest warrant, police said. Brown ran off when the detectives identified themselves, and he started to shoot, investigators said. All three officers returned fire and Brown fell to the ground in a grassy lot in the 1900 block of Forbes Avenue. Police said he was shot in the calf. Officers reported they found a jammed pistol on the ground near him. Paramedics took him to Mercy Hospital, Uptown, where doctors found crack cocaine in his clothing, police said. He was arraigned in his hospital bed on Saturday on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, drug possession and carrying a gun illegally. He remained hospitalized under police guard. When Brown is transferred to the Allegheny County Jail, he will be held on $250,000 bond pending a Nov. 17 hearing in City Court. The detectives were placed on paid leave until yesterday, which is standard procedure in police shootings. McNeilly said investigators will not know which officer actually shot Brown until ballistics tests are completed by the coroner's forensic lab.

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