HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo on Thursday announced that his review of the officer-involved shooting that killed 22-year-old Kendrell Hall last month determined the police officers who fired on Hall were justified in doing so.
Chardo said Hall had already led police on a lengthy foot chase, fired his Glock 9mm handgun at a pursuing K9 officer and pointed his gun and shot at two other officers before they returned fire, striking him four times.
Hall was pronounced dead at the scene on the 200 block of Pine Street.
In his review of the incident, Chardo cited the work of his office's Criminal Investigation Division, which investigated the case. CID investigators conducted detailed interviews of the officers on the scene and all available material witnesses and reviewed video footage of the incident, radio recordings, and photographs.
Chardo concluded that the officers who fired at Hall did so in the belief that he presented an immediate threat to police and others if they did not use deadly force.
"Based upon the circumstances, this conclusion was reasonable," Chardo said. "Both officers were very fortunate. Hall’s pistol was set to discharge as an automatic weapon when it jammed upon firing in the alley. If it had not jammed, there is a fair probability that the officers would have been wounded or killed."
Chardo said his review of the incident was limited to whether the actions of the officers involved violated criminal law, and did not examine whether the use of force was otherwise proper, including whether it violated any department policy or created non-criminal liability, as such an inquiry would be beyond the prosecutorial function.
Here is a timeline of the events that occurred in the early morning hours of June 9, according to Chardo's review:
- In the early morning hours of June 9, 2024, Harrisburg Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Capitol Police officers responded to a call of shots fired around 2nd and Pine Streets. The suspect fled east on Pine Street towards the Capitol and then south towards State Street.
- On State Street, a uniformed Harrisburg officer saw the suspect, exited his vehicle, and ordered him to stop. Hall disregarded the order and fled. The Harrisburg officer used his taser twice, but it was not effective because both prongs did not connect.
- A Capitol Police officer with his K9 partner, Rex, joined the Harrisburg officer in the chase. They chased Hall down Susquehanna Street to South Street.
- During his flight, Hall was reaching towards his waist area as he ran.
- At Susquehanna and South Street, Hall drew a pistol with an extended magazine and pointed it back at the officers without firing.
- The Harrisburg officer verbally identified himself as a police officer and gave multiple oral commands for Hall to stop.
- The suspect then moved east towards 3rd Street.
- The Capitol Police officer commanded Rex to seize Hall, using the foreign language Rex was trained in. Some listening to the video footage mistakenly interpreted these commands as instructions to fire on Hall.
- As the K9 approached, Hall fired upon Rex wounding him. The shot that Hall fired wounding Rex was close to the two officers.
- At that point, after Hall fired, the Harrisburg Police officer fired several shots and Hall continued to flee.
- The two officers continued their chase.
- In his subsequent flight, Hall ran into an alcove to the rear of 216-220 Pine Street. There, he defied orders to surrender and raised his firearm to fire upon the officers.
- While they heard gunfire, the officers then fired upon Hall resulting in four gunshot wounds and causing his death.
- The officers stopped firing when the shots ended the threat.
According to Chardo, the firearm that Hall used had an extended magazine and a “Glock switch” which allowed the pistol to discharge automatic fire. The device caused the firearm to jam as Hall discharged it in the alcove.
"Hall pointed this firearm at the officers while in the alcove and fired," he said. "This act is captured on bodycam. Not knowing that Hall’s firearm was jammed, the officers fired upon him until the threat was eliminated."
The Glock 9mm handgun Hall used in the June 9 incident appears to be his weapon of choice, Chardo said.
Hall pleaded guilty in connection to a February 2020 incident where police executing a search warrant on his home found a loaded Glock 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number in his bedroom. He later pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, unlawful possession of a firearm arm by a person with a prior juvenile adjudication for a felony, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, Chardo said.
In August 2020, Hall was arrested again for illegally possessing a Glock 9mm pistol. In that case, Hall pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a firearm during an emergency, and unlawful possession of a firearm arm by a person with a prior juvenile adjudication for a felony, according to Chardo.
Investigators also conducted a forensic examination of the smartphone Hall was carrying during the June 9 incident and found numerous videos of Hall holding the Glock pistol with the switch and extended magazine. In some of the videos, Hall’s face is visible as he handles the distinctive pistol which is tan in color with a red Glock switch, Chardo said.
Furthermore, Chardo said, Hall’s attire on June 9 "was consistent with an intent to commit a felonious act."
Hall was wearing a black mask on his face, in spite of the fact that it was 65 degrees at the time.
"It was warm such that wearing a mask would be suspicious," Chardo explained.
Chardo also examined X-rays of the K-9 officer shot during the incident and noted the bullet that is still lodged in K-9 Officer Rex's midsection, which is clearly visible in the X-rays, is consistent with the ammunition in Hall's firearm.
"It is inconsistent with the projectiles used by the police officers involved in the incident," Chardo said. "Indisputably, Hall shot Rex."
Hall had Delta-9 THC in his bloodstream on June 9, according to Chardo.
"Delta-9 THC is the principal psychoactive ingredient of marijuana/hashish," he said. "This could have affected his judgment regarding the use of deadly force."
At the time of the fatal shooting, Chardo added, Hall was on state parole for unlawful possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property and a felony drug offense. His parole was not due to end until April 2, 2025.
"His mere possession of a firearm constituted a felony of the first degree and was a violation of the conditions of his parole," Chardo said. "This provided a motive for him to use deadly force to avoid arrest."
Chardo added that multiple independent, non-governmental witnesses interviewed by investigators corroborated the accounts of the police officers.
"Specifically, two earwitnesses were in an apartment next to the alley where the shooting occurred," Chardo said. "They heard the officers repeatedly give the verbal commands, 'get on the ground' and 'drop the gun,' before any shots were fired. "
"Immediately, after the shots, they heard the officers attempting life-saving measures upon Hall," Chardo continued.
Chardo stated that he contacted Hall's family and told them his determination prior to their public release on Thursday and conveyed his condolences "for the loss the family must be experiencing with the death of Kendrell Hall."
