Manhunt in Pennsylvania, Police Shooting

photo courtesy of NY Daily News
Mug shot of the shooter, Michael Cwiklinski

Two officers were shot at around four a.m. Thursday in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania which is located about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. There was also a woman’s body found at the scene. The woman was named Dalia Sabae, the shooter’s girlfriend. The woman was said to have been six months pregnant with Cwiklinski’s child.

One officer was transported to a hospital in Canonsburg and the other was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh. The Washington County medical examiner confirmed the identity of one of the officer’s as 52-year-old Scott Leslie Bashioum who passed away. According to Trooper Melinda Bondarenka, the officers had been ambu0shed at the scene when responding to a domestic call. The suspect was identified as Michael Cwiklinski, who later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the house where he was hiding. Michael was already known to be dangerous and had several prior arrests. He would turn violent under the influence of alcohol and had previously tried turning his car into a bomb according to his wife.

Many homes and schools in the area had been evacuated to prevent any more deaths. The two-officers weren’t the only ones at the scene, a SWAT team and several other officers arrived not long after, but were too late to save Bashioum’s life. A soon-to-be mother, an unborn child, and police officer’s life were lost that day.