Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Lt. Governor John Fetterman’s announcement Monday that he’s running for U.S. Senate has prompted critics to raise the issue of a 2013 incident in which he pulled a gun on an unarmed Black man.
Fetterman was the mayor of Braddock at the time, and, according to local news reports, he thought he heard several gunshots near his home just before the jogger ran past. He defended his response to the incident in a statement Tuesday night in which he said that he “made a split-second decision to intervene for the safety and protection of my community.”
Fetterman made sure his son was safe, called 911 and then got into his truck and went after the man, according to a 2013 WTAE report. When he found the jogger, he pulled a gun on the man and ordered him to wait for authorities.
In the 2013 interview with WTAE, the jogger, identified as Chris Miyares, said he believed the gunshots were actually bottle rockets behind the nearby library. He also said Fetterman pointed the shotgun directly at his chest.
Fetterman refuted the claim at the time and said he simply showed the gun to make sure Miyares could see he was armed. He said the gun’s safety was on and did not have a “round chambered.”
In 2016, Fetterman spoke to Philly Voice and said part of his decision came from fear stemming from the then-recent Sandy Hook shooting.
“I know people have been shopping this around to the press, but this had nothing to do with race,” Fetterman told Philly Voice in 2016. “The runner could have been my mother for all I knew, thanks to what the jogger was wearing.”
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer said Fetterman declined to be interviewed for a story about the incident, responding instead with a statement.
PennLive obtained that statement on Tuesday night:
“Eight years ago, I was outside with my son Karl, who was 4 at the time, when I heard a loud burst of gunfire. It was coming from an area near our home that had been the site of countless shootings over the years. The truth is, there is a gun problem in Braddock and there always has been.
“I got my son inside safely and called 911. I then saw a lone individual dressed entirely in black and a full face mask running from the vicinity of the gunfire. The individual turned and started running towards our local elementary school – and this was just a few weeks after the Sandy Hook child massacre.
“I made a split-second decision to intervene for the safety and protection of my community, and intercepted the person to stop them from going any further until the first responders could arrive. I stayed in my truck and never came in physical contact with the individual. I had my shotgun, but it was never pointed at the individual, and there wasn’t even a round chambered.
“Between the ski mask and the way this person was dressed, bundled head to toe in the dead of winter, I didn’t know what race that individual was, or even their gender.
“Law enforcement came in under a minute and spoke to the individual, and no charges were filed.”
In the 2016 interview, Fetterman called it an “odd situation” and said they never fully figured out what happened prior to his decision to go after the jogger.
“If my brother had been running from the scene of 13 assault rounds, I’d have done the same thing,” Fetterman told Philly Voice. “It was an emergency situation, an incredibly scary situation, [I] thought it might be the last time I’d see my son.”
Reactions remain mixed, and one Pittsburgh housing justice activist, Randall Taylor told the Inquirer he would like a full explanation of what happened.
The Inquirer story noted that retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s campaign released a statement Monday that mentioned the incident and that others have quietly talked about the potential issues it could create for Fetterman as the campaign gets underway.