HUMMELSTOWN (WPMT)-A man who was shot and killed by a police officer in Hummelstown Monday had recently relapsed into a heroin addiction, according to a search warrant filed with Magisterial District Judge Lowell Witmer.
The warrant cites an interview police had with Dale Kassick, the brother of shooting victim 59-year-old David Kassick, on the day he was killed.
A state police trooper stated in the warrant that Dale Kassick said his brother had a known heroin addiction and mentioned he relapsed approximately two weeks ago.
The incident began just after 4 p.m. Monday as Officer Lisa Mearkle was on a routine patrol along South Hoernerstown Road. Mearkle spotted Kassick's vehicle with an expired inspection sticker.
Kassick fled as Mearkle tried to pull him over, police said. According to the warrant, Kassick drove to 32 Grandview Road, then got out of the car and ran across the yard to 36 Grandview Road. An "altercation" ensued between Mearkle and Kassick, shots were fired and Kassick died at the scene, the warrant states.
Police have not said whether Kassick had a weapon or what prompted Mearkle to shoot him.
Neighbors shot video after they heard the shots. It shows a second officer pulling up after the shooting with medical equipment to try and help Kassick.
"I heard arguing, I heard commands, and yelling, and more commands and then two pops, two shots," says Al Amico.
On his Facebook page, friends left messages of grief, calling it an "unjustified killing."
Investigators found a hypodermic needle next to his body, according to the warrant. A spoon with residue known to be drug paraphernalia and Suboxone strips were also found on his body.
State troopers said in the warrant that Kassick had a past history of drug convictions.
Details of the altercation between Mearkle and Kassick have not yet been made available. It remains unclear if Kassick was armed.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for a 2009 Saturn Aura, the vehicle that David Kassick was driving before he was killed. The vehicle remains in a garage at state police headquarters along the 8000 block of Bretz Drive in West Hanover Township.
Officer Mearkle, a 14-year police veteran, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
