The Pittsburgh Police Officer Who Shot Antwon Rose Has Been Charged With Criminal Homicide

The East Pittsburgh police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenage boy, Antwon Rose, last week, sparking protests and outrage across the city, has been charged with criminal homicide.

Officer Michael Rosfeld, 30, has been charged with one count of criminal homicide, court filings show. A preliminary hearing is set for July 6.

Rosfeld has been accused of shooting 17-year-old Antwon Rose II three times in the back as the teenager fled a traffic stop on June 19. The car, which was driven by a 20-year-old who was taken into custody and later released, had been stopped because it matched the description of one involved in a nonfatal drive-by shooting in neighboring North Braddock minutes earlier. Rose was reportedly unarmed at the time of the shooting, though two semi-automatic weapons were discovered on the car’s floor.

Patrick Thomassey, the attorney representing Rosfeld, according to court filings, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Protestors marched through downtown Pittsburgh in the wake of the incident, blocking traffic and calling for charges to be filed against Rosfeld, who was officially sworn in to the police force just hours before the shooting and has since been placed on leave. Some protestors have also called for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala to cede control of the investigation to the state district attorney.