Fatal courthouse shooting ruled justified

The fatal shooting of a Coatesville man by a deputy sheriff on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Chester County Justice Center has been ruled justified, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said on Thursday, Aug. 27.

Curtis Smith
Curtis Smith

“The deputy sheriffs responded appropriately and professionally to this attack,” said Hogan in a press release.

He said it was regrettable that “a man has lost his life, and it is clear in retrospect that there were mental health issues involved.  However, the deputy sheriffs fulfilled their duty by protecting themselves and the citizens at the Justice Center.”

Hogan released the results of an investigation conducted by Chester County Detectives into the death of Curtis Smith, 34, who had residences in Coatesville and Downingtown. A former employee of AmeriGas, Smith was unemployed at the time of the shooting, the release said.

The release detailed Smith’s troubled past, which included jumping a fence at the White House in March. He was apprehended by the Secret Service, but eventually released.  The charges for the fence-scaling incident were pending at the time of Tuesday’s shooting, the release said.

One of Smith’s family members believed that the incident at the White House was a “suicide by cop” attempt by Smith, a term used to describe someone’s effort to end his life by putting himself in the line of police fire. Additionally in 2015, Smith was experiencing domestic issues.  His wife had filed a protection-from-abuse order against him, and he was arrested for burglary and assault.  On Aug. 5, Smith posted a photograph of himself on Facebook wearing a blond wig, resulting in at least one Facebook friend’s inquiry about his well-being, the release said.

In 2013, Smith’s brother, Derek Smith, pleaded guilty to murdering their father, a fatal shooting that occurred in Caln Township, the release said.

District Attorney Tom Hogan says deputy sheriffs retrieved the knife that Curtis Smith used in Tuesday's attack.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says the knife shown in this photo was used by Curtis Smith on Tuesday.

On Aug. 25, Smith, described by family members as “deeply religious,” had been with relatives and generally seemed normal.  However, he sped away from the house in his car for some unknown reason. Smith then drove to the Chester County Justice Center.  After parking illegally on the ground floor of the parking garage across from the Justice Center, he entered the front door at 11:49 a.m., the release said.

Two deputy sheriffs were stationed at the security checkpoint when Smith yelled “let’s do this ---t,” pulled a folding knife, and slashed at the nearest deputy, who has been identified as Kevin Brough. The second deputy pulled his service weapon and fired three times, striking Smith twice in the torso, the release said.

Hogan said the shooter’s identity would not be released. “In the case of a shooting that has been deemed justified, it is the policy of the District Attorney’s Office not to release the name of the person who fired and is not being charged with any crime, whether that person is a regular citizen or a member of law enforcement,” the release said.

According to the release, the deputy sheriffs retrieved the knife from the floor.  Smith received immediate medical attention and was conscious when he was transported by ambulance from the Justice Center.  During the ride to the hospital, Smith communicated his name, but no other information.  He eventually died at Paoli Hospital from the gunshot wounds.

Brough was treated at the scene for injuries to his hand and was eventually transported to a trauma center. Smith’s knife slashed through the back of Brough’s uniform and was stopped by his ballistic vest.  Surgeons who operated on him determined that the wound to his hand was caused by one of the shots from the other deputy sheriff during the quick, violent struggle, the release said.

“My fellow deputy sheriff not only saved my life in this tragic event, but also potentially the lives of many other citizens who were in the Justice Center,” said Brough.  “I consider my colleague to be a hero for the actions he took and the people he protected.”

The release said that neither of the two deputy sheriffs knew Smith or had any known prior contact with him.  Smith’s attack appears to have been random; because deputy sheriffs are rotated, Smith could not have known who would be on duty.

“The quick response and training of the deputy sheriffs in this encounter averted what could have been an even greater tragedy,” said Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh.

She said the four deputy sheriffs who are trained EMTs and paramedics and were in the Justice Center responded immediately and should be commended for their extraordinary efforts.

The investigation included interviews of the two deputy sheriffs, interviews of all witnesses, a detailed review of the video surveillance of the shooting, a forensic analysis of the shooting scene and medical records, retrieval of all ballistics evidence and other evidence, and research on the background of Smith, the release said.

 

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)
Loading...

Comments

comments

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. brandywinebard

    Living just north of West Chester as I do, one thing intrigued me.
    Guilty or not, with a serious gunshot wound, why did they take Mr. Smith to Paoli Hopsital – over 10 miles away, when Chester County Penn, an outstanding Hospital with a large and active ER was only blocks away?
    Certainly in the the Chester County Hospital, he would have been supported and prepped for the O.R. during the time when he was still in the ambulance on the way to Paoli.
    Was some kind of decision already made? Let’s hope not.

    1. Kathleen Brady Shea

      I hope someone with more expertise than I have will respond, but my understanding is that Paoli is the nearest trauma center.

Leave a Reply