PITTSBURGH (AP) - An armed man who stabbed five people at a mental health facility near Pittsburgh before he was shot by police will be charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault, officials said Saturday.
Dustin Johnson, 38, will also face charges of attempted arson and risking a catastrophe following Friday afternoon’s attack at the Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health/Mental Retardation in Homestead, just southeast of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County police said.
Police implored 38-year-old Dustin Johnson to drop his gun after receiving texts from inside that the victims were bleeding profusely and needed help, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said. Johnson dropped his knife but not the gun before he was shot, she said.
Authorities said one resident was listed in critical condition with stab wounds to the neck and another was in stable condition, while three employees were also in stable condition. Two other people were taken to hospitals but weren’t physically injured.
Johnson underwent surgery for multiple gunshot wounds and is recovering in intensive care, police said. There was no telephone number listed for Johnson.
Police said he came out of the elevator and assaulted the victims nearby, then remained near several rooms where some other victims and staff and residents took shelter. They said they saw him carrying a knife and a handgun and heard him talking with responding police, and several witnesses overheard continuing requests for him to put the gun down, police said.
After about 40 minutes of negotiations, SWAT officers came up the staircase to the fifth floor and took positions alongside Homestead officers.
“The suspect maintained his location between the officers and the bleeding victims,” police said. “When he turned toward the officers, three SWAT officers fired seven rounds, disabling the suspect, and enabling rescue of the victims.”
The center says it provides care and support for people and communities dealing with behavioral, mental health, substance abuse and developmental issues.
Employee C.J. Fulton told WTAE-TV that Johnson complained that a stay at the facility had “ruined” his life.
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