The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is conducting a thorough investigation following an incident where an officer accidentally tased a 10-year-old girl during a response to a hostage situation.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, officers were engaged in a rescue operation for a girl who was reportedly being held at knifepoint by her mother, according to a statement from authorities shared on the official website.
Officers responded to a critical incident after being alerted around 3:30 p.m. local time by a man on Knox Avenue, who reported that a woman had just taken his Chevy Equinox, according to the statement. Witnesses reported that a woman forcibly removed a driver from a vehicle before speeding away in the stolen car.
Following the discovery of the man’s vehicle situated a half-mile down Brownsville Road, authorities subsequently found the woman, accompanied by her two children, on a street close by. When law enforcement arrived, the woman “wielded a knife” and threatened the children — a 4-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl — with it.
The woman has been identified as Gwendolyn Gilmore, aged 48. The 10-year-old is the daughter of Gilmore; the boy’s identity remains uncertain, as the release indicated he is also “her” child, but WTAE has reported that he is Gilmore’s nephew.
A report from CBS News reveals that during a tense situation, Gilmore was holding two children at knifepoint when an officer aimed a gun at him and ordered him to drop the weapon. Gilmore then embraced the children, holding a knife to her daughter’s neck, after police informed her they were transitioning to tasers.
“In an attempt to disarm the female and safeguard the welfare of the children, an officer on scene deployed a taser,” the release detailed. “In the process, the 10-year-old female was inadvertently struck in the head by one of the taser prongs.”
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According to the criminal complaint, WTAE stated that the boy was also struck with the taser in his leg.
A girl experienced a seizure on-site after an accidental taser incident, resulting in a minor scalp laceration. According to the statement, authorities provided assistance, and emergency medical services arrived at the location, transporting the girl to a nearby children’s hospital. She has now been placed in the care of a family member, and the boy is similarly under the guardianship of a relative.
According to the release, Gilmore was apprehended and transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. She has now been taken to Allegheny County Jail, where she is facing charges such as theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and endangering the welfare of children.
“The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police reviews all use of force incidents that occur in the city and involve Pittsburgh Police officers,” authorities said in the release. “As such, an extensive review of the officer’s tactics from yesterday will be conducted to ensure reasonable force was used.”
Beth Pittinger, the executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, expressed to KDKA that the police”did a very good job at managing that situation and ended up protecting those children from further harm,” citing the information that’s been provided about the incident so far. Adding that the kids were “faced with a threat,” Pittinger said she thinks police “assessed that threat realistically and reasonably.”
“Physically, they’ll be okay,” Pittinger added of the children. “But in terms of their psychological insult as a result of this by the mother, it’s just unforgivable.”