GREENSBURG, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania prosecutor has ruled that state troopers were justified in shooting and killing a driver after a high-speed pursuit through three counties ended in an exchange of gunfire last month.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said she reviewed videos, reports, witness interviews and evidence gathered from the scene before making her determination in the Nov. 3 death of 35-year-old Krysten Pretlor of Johnstown.
Authorities said Pretlor was wanted in a domestic violence case but fled when police in Cambria County's Richland Township tried to serve a warrant. Ziccarelli said he led them on a 45-mile chase in Cambria, Indiana and Westmoreland counties that reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.
State troopers joined the chase on Route 22 near Blairsville and eventually used a maneuver to slow Pretlor down and he rammed a trooper’s car. Officials said Pretlor got out of his car and died after an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement officers.
Ziccarelli said witness statements and video from the police cars and body cameras showed that Pretlor pointed a gun at troopers, and evidence at the scene indicated that he fired numerous rounds at police from inside and outside of the car he was driving. A stolen handgun and ammunition were found in his possession, she said.
