Police Shootings 2017: Black Man Mistakenly Killed By Officers In His Own Home That Was Being Robbed

A black man was mistakenly shot and killed by local police responding to a burglary call at his own home in Western Pennsylvania Sunday. Pittsburgh officers who responded said they thought they were firing at the alleged thief.

Christopher Thompkins, 57, who shares a home with his ex-wife, woke up next to her at 4 a.m. local time to find an intruder hovering over his bed. Upon being seen, the intruder, identified by police as Juan Jeter-Clark, rushed downstairs. Christopher Thompkins chased after it while wielding his ex-wife's gun, according to local reports Monday.

Christopher Thompkins shot at Jeter-Clark as he was hurrying down his stairs. However, the police, which had responded to the home security alarm, said they thought they were the intended targets of the shots. That's when police shot and killed Christopher Thompkins.

“They shot the wrong guy,” Brenda Thompkins, his ex-wife, told local reporters. She said her ex-husband responded to the burglary with the gun because he was worried about his legally blind mother who was living downstairs. “He didn't want to hurt no cops. He was trying to save his mother.”

Jeter-Clark was apprehended at the scene and charged with criminal trespass. Police say Jeter-Clark was not armed.

Two police officers, whose names were not immediately released, were placed on administrative leave after saying they saw a man coming down the stairs and started shooting in that direction.

“No cop goes out there wanting to shoot and kill somebody. Nor do we want our officers shot and killed,” Independent Civilian Police Review Board Ex-Director Elizabeth C. Pittinger told local reporters. “First and foremost they have the right to protect themselves like everyone else.”

There were 1092 people in the U.S. killed by the police in 2016, according to a report by the Guardian. At least 258 of those killed were black.