A Butler City Police officer was in surgery Tuesday morning and a Butler man was dead after a violent encounter that lasted about five minutes, authorities said.
The incident began with a 911 call around 6:54 a.m. about an “erratic male” on West Jefferson Street who was reportedly jumping in and out of traffic, said Joshua Black, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and public information officer for the Troop D barracks.
It was not clear how many officers responded to the call, but they arrived on the scene at 6:57 a.m., according to Black.
“As soon as the Butler City officer encountered the male, a struggle ensued,” he said.
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
To The Officer Involved Shooting pic.twitter.com/prTdGm10j9— Trooper Black (@PSPTroopDPIO) August 24, 2021
Within the next two minutes, the officer was stabbed multiple times, Black said, and he fired his service weapon at around 6:59 a.m. Police identified the man, who was killed in the shooting, as 35-year-old John Ebberts.
The wounded officer, a 27-year-old man who is a Marine veteran and has been with the department for three years, was taken via helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian, Black said. He was in surgery around mid-morning and in stable but critical condition.
Authorities did not release the officer’s name, nor did they say how many times the officer fired his weapon.
Black did not take questions after he issued the update, which took place about 10:30 a.m. He said further updates will be released via Twitter.
Officers from the state police Troop D barracks are investigating, according to the release, along with the county’s District Attorney’s Office and the coroner.
Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Butler at 724-284-8100.
