A moment-by-moment recounting of the shooting of Antwon Rose and the charging of Michael Rosfeld.
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June 19, 2018
8:27 p.m.
In North Braddock, gunshots are fired from a gold Chevy Cruze carrying Antwon Rose, Zaijuan Hester and a jitney driver. Police are dispatched to the scene and find an injured man, grazed in the abdomen by a bullet. They put a call out on the radio with the vehicle’s description.
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8:40 p.m.
Then-East Pittsburgh police Officer Michael Rosfeld sees a vehicle matching the description in East Pittsburgh and conducts a traffic stop at Grandview Avenue and Howard Street. According to police, he suspects the vehicle had been involved in the gunfire exchange 13 minutes earlier. As he’s detaining the driver, Antwon and Mr. Hester run from the vehicle. Mr. Rosfeld shoots Antwon three times. A bystander records a cell phone video of the incident. Antwon would die at a nearby hospital at 9:19 p.m.
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Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette
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June 20, 2018
As the cell phone video of Antwon’s killing circulates across the country, police reveal in a press conference that Antwon was not armed as he ran from the stopped vehicle. By evening, nearly 100,000 people had watched the video. A crowd gathers at the East Pittsburgh police station to protest. Mr. Rosfeld, who at this point has not been publicly named, is placed on leave. Police continue to look for Mr. Hester and had already questioned and released the jitney driver. Protests begin.
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June 21, 2018
The officer is identified as Michael Rosfeld. He has still not been interviewed by Allegheny County police, which is leading the investigation. Details of Mr. Rosfeld’s background emerge, including that he was hired by East Pittsburgh in mid-May and sworn-in at a council meeting just hours before the fatal shooting.
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June 22, 2018
Protests continue in Pittsburgh, as demonstrators march from Downtown to the North Side and for a short time take over Route 28.
View the Post-Gazette's Facebook Live video of the June 22, 2018 protests >
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June 25, 2018
Antwon’s funeral is held. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and the five-member Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition urge Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to bring charges against Mr. Rosfeld. Police pick up Mr. Hester on separate charges, and plan to detain and charge him with the drive-by in North Braddock.
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Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette
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June 27, 2018
Mr. Zappala’s office charges Mr. Rosfeld with criminal homicide, and the criminal complaint paints a fuller picture of what happened the night of the shooting. Notably, the complaint contends that Mr. Rosfeld gave conflicting accounts to investigators about the shooting, at first saying he saw “something dark” in Antwon’s hand and that Antwon turned his hand toward him, then saying he did not see a gun and wasn’t certain if the teenager was still pointing at him when he fired shots. Mr. Hester is also charged, and evidence suggests he was the lone shooter in the drive-by in North Braddock. Mr. Rosfeld’s lawyer says his use of deadly force was “completely justified.” Mr. Zappala says he believes Mr. Rosfeld’s actions were “intentional.”
Watch Allegheny County DA Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announce charges >
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July 1, 2018
About 300 people gather in East Liberty and shut down the intersection of North Highland and Penn avenues to demand authorities take more action, asking that Mr. Rosfeld be charged specifically with first-degree murder and that his bond be revoked.
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Nat Guidry/Post-Gazette
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July 12, 2018
Samaria Rice, the Mother of Tamir Rice who was killed by a Cleveland Police officer in 2014, left, embraces Michelle Kenney, Antwon Rose's II mother, right.
Michael M. Santiago/Post-Gazette
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September 19, 2018
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Alexander P. Bicket, assigned to hear Mr. Rosfeld’s case, issues a gag order, muzzling lawyers for both parties, potential witnesses and other people assisting or associated with the parties.
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January 14, 2019
After Mr. Rosfeld’s defense says there’s no way for him to get a fair trial in Allegheny County given the amount of pretrial publicity, Judge Bicket announces the jury selection will be held elsewhere, and that the jurors will be brought to Pittsburgh for trial. The judge says, "The overwhelming majority of media coverage has, to say the least, been critical of the defendant's conduct on June 19, 2018, resulting in the death of Antwon Rose [II]."
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January 24, 2019
Prosecutors say they don’t want the jury to know whether or not Antwon had a stolen gun under his seat and an empty magazine in his pocket because it has no bearing on whether Mr. Rosfeld acted within the law when he shot and killed the teenager.
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March 12, 2019
Antwon’s mother calls for peace during Mr. Rosfeld’s trial, asking potential protesters not to demonstrate so the public can “stay focused on what the trial is about.”
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Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette
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March 13, 2019
As jury selection concludes in Dauphin County, Mr. Rosfeld’s defense asks that the jury only be allowed to consider one charge -- first-degree murder, while the prosecution says it believes the jurors ought to be able to consider third-degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, as well. The decision will be determined by the judge.
Nine jurors chosen, including three African Americans >
Defense wants Rosfeld jurors to only consider one charge: first-degree murder >
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Alexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette
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March 15, 2019
Mr. Hester pleads guilty to firing the shots in the North Braddock drive-by shooting. His attorney says he will not testify at Mr. Rosfeld’s trial.
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March 18, 2019
Judge Bicket rules that jurors may hear about the drive-by shooting that preceded Antwon’s death, but not about his alleged role in an armed robbery five hours earlier (though the judge says this may change, depending on what emerges during the trial.) He also says he will make a determination during the trial on which charges the jury will be able to consider.
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March 19, 2019
