In the early morning hours of April 4, 2009, officers Stephen James Mayhle, Paul Sciullo II and Eric G. Kelly were killed during a domestic disturbance call at a Stanton Heights home in Pittsburgh. Officer Mayhle, 29, a male officer with two years on the force, and his partner Sciullo were the first to arrive after a 911 call from Margaret Poplawski asking that her 22-year-old son, Richard Poplawski, be removed from the residence. Richard Poplawski was heavily armed and wearing a bulletproof vest when officers entered the home.

According to testimony at trial, Poplawski opened fire with multiple weapons. Officer Sciullo was killed immediately; Mayhle returned fire and wounded Poplawski in the leg but was then shot in the head with an AK-47. Officer Kelly, who responded after hearing the call, was also shot and killed while trying to aid his colleagues. The shooting turned into a four-hour standoff during which Poplawski continued firing and wounded another officer before surrendering after being wounded.

Richard Poplawski was convicted in June 2011 of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by a jury. The killings represent the deadliest day in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s history. Does anyone have memories of the neighborhood or the events that night that could add detail to the timeline?