Pittsburgh Sniper Shoots Himself, Falls to His Death
A sniper armed with a rifle and handgun fired several shots from the roof of a 15-story apartment building Friday, holding police at bay for five hours before shooting himself and plunging to the street, authorities said.
No one else was hurt in the incident, police said.
The gunman, identified as Paul Fisher, wore an orange hunting cap and was perched on a rooftop ledge at Moorhead Towers, a high-rise unit for the elderly and handicapped on the city’s east side.
Fisher, who was believed to be in his 40s, was a resident of the apartment complex. Police said they were not sure what caused the incident.
Police Chief Mayer DeRoy said Fisher appeared to be despondent, and police offered counseling at a hospital with assurances that he would not be prosecuted. He surrendered his rifle to policemen about an hour before he killed himself, but he refused to relinquish the pistol.
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