Apr 16, 2025 By Zach Petroff 3 min read

The Redstone Township officer who fatally shot a 27-year-old man in January was justified in doing so and will not face charges, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said in a release issued Wednesday.

Aubele said the officer, whom he would not identify, believed Christopher Hackney threatened him and pointed an AR-15 rifle toward him, prompting him to shoot Hackney.

“Further investigation revealed that the individual threatened the officer with an Airsoft BB gun; the gun was extremely realistic and was not an apparent fake from any reasonable distance,” Aubele wrote.

The release stated that the use of deadly force is justified “not only when (police) are in actual danger of unlawful attack but also when they mistakenly, but reasonably, believe they are.”

Aubele’s statement indicated Hackney had made prior statements that he wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” and noted he had a BAC of .265% and prescription drugs in his system when he was shot around 9 p.m. on Jan. 28 at 132 Lyndell Road in Grindstone.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation,” Auble said during a phone interview Wednesday.

A police report filed one day after Hackney was shot indicated police arrived at his home and came into contact with Hackney. That initial report jumped from there to saying Hackney “was treated on scene per medical staff, however he succumbed to his injuries,” offering no context as to what prompted the shooting.

Given the use of a fake firearm, Aubele explained Wednesday that it was especially crucial to conduct a thorough investigation. He said investigators gathered information about Hackney’s mental health, including a phone call he made to an out-of-state crisis hotline the night he was shot, and conducted a careful forensic investigation.

“We were able to piece together why the victim did what he did and why the officer responded how he did,” Aubele said.

He could not confirm whether the officer has returned to work yet, but said he let the township supervisors know the officer would not be charged on Monday.

While Aubele did not release the name of the officer, in response to an open records request, Redstone Township Supervisor George Matis said the township would.

“We expect the Pennsylvania State Police and the Fayette County District Attorney to wrap up this case, within the next few weeks. Then (the Herald-Standard) will get the name of the police officer that was involved in the shooting,” Matis wrote on April 3.

A reporter made an open records request in the days after the shooting because township officials refused to reveal whether the officer who shot Hackney was put on leave.

The newspaper also requested the names of all of the department’s officers, their job titles and their compensation, and how long they’ve been employed by the township.

In response to the request, the township confirmed the officer was placed on administrative leave, indicating he makes $46,841.60 and has been employed by the township since 2017.

Matis, who is the township’s right-to-know officer, did not provide the officer’s rank. He referred a reporter to the township’s website for the names and rank of the other officers, but did not provide the requested information about their salaries or how long they’ve been employed.

The Herald-Standard has appealed the response to the state Office of Open Records.

Neither the township supervisors nor the township solicitor responded to requests for comment on Wednesday.