Last Wednesday, police in Pennsylvania were called to a shooting in progress in the Garfield area, a small community in Pittsburgh. Hundreds of bullets were reportedly shot.
The police have not released any information on the possible number of casualties. When officers arrived to deliver an eviction notice, the scene became violent, as reported by local media.
At 5:14 PM, police reported that the person had been declared dead.
A witness told the local newspaper that he had never heard gunfire like this. It was like something out of a movie.
Shots continued to be fired; therefore, city police blocked multiple roads and broadcasted on social media to warn citizens to stay away.
William Hardison, known by the nickname “Bill,” hid in body armor and engaged police in a gun battle over six hours on Broad Street in the Garfield area.
Several examples of driving without a license and forgeries appear in court records, along with assault, disorderly conduct, an automobile accident, and the illegal possession of a weapon.
Authorities said Wednesday that he was a self-identified sovereign citizen and that a 2019 cellphone video showed him shouting at police, saying they had no control over him, and using obscenities.
After the eviction event, the resident allegedly began firing down police drones, according to a trooper on the site who spoke to the media. The man was still holed up in his house in the early afternoon.
When the eviction notice was given at 10:25 a.m., the suspect immediately opened fire on police officers, Sheriff Kevin Kraus of Allegheny County told reporters in a news conference. According to Kraus, no police officers were hit by gunfire, although one was hurt while attempting to seek shelter.
The last gunfight, according to the source, occurred at 4:30 p.m.
Kraus said there was no indication that the person was this violent when the eviction notice was served. He also stated that the assailant had a great deal of ammo in the residence and had several chances for him to turn himself in.
