Police presence request for Brighton Heights funeral went unfulfilled, Pittsburgh police said
By Heather Lang, Chris Hoffman
Click here for updates on this story
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A police presence was requested at the Destiny of Faith Church on the day of John Hornezes’ funeral, but that request went unfulfilled, Pittsburgh police said.
In a statement, police said it is “totally unacceptable.”
Police said they began conducting an internal investigation into whether police protection was provided during the service on Oct. 28. They said command staff interviewed police personnel who were on duty that day.
Through those interviews, police said they learned the presence of officers had been requested in Brighton Heights for the service but was not fulfilled.
“We regret that PBP did not provide the presence asked of us on a difficult day,” Acting Chief of Police Thomas Stangrecki said. “As a matter of policy, we are conducting an internal investigation into what went wrong in this situation. As not only police officers, but members of this community, we consider this totally unacceptable. As previously stated in other briefings, it is our hope that the inactions of a few do not reflect negatively on the actions of many who worked diligently to respond, investigate and bring those responsible to justice in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Police are not releasing any further information at this time. However, they said that disciplinary action will be handled internally.
Six people and a horse were injured when the gunfire erupted outside of Hornezes’ funeral at the Destiny of Faith Church on Brighton Road. Two teenagers are facing charges.
Hornezes was shot and killed in a shooting incident on Oct. 15 on Cedar Avenue on the North Side. Two innocent bystanders waiting for a bus were also killed in the gunfire that started as a fight.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
