The Cumberland County District Attorney's Office has ruled that two West Shore Regional police officers were justified in their use of force during a shooting incident on August 25. The officers shot 23-year-old Romaine Marszalek after she pointed a BB gun designed to look like a handgun at them, claiming it was real.
According to District Attorney Sean McCormack, officers responded to a 911 call about a woman screaming under a bridge on Lowther Street in Lemoyne. Upon arrival, Marszalek, who had called 911 on herself, stood up, pulled out the BB gun, and announced she had a gun. The officers ordered her to drop the weapon before firing seven shots, hitting her in the hip and grazing her head.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Marszalek had written "do not resuscitate" on her chest. She reportedly told officers, "Yeah, this didn’t work how I thought it would," indicating a possible attempt to provoke a fatal response.
McCormack stated that the officers believed their lives were in danger and acted accordingly. Marszalek survived her injuries and is now in Cumberland County Prison, facing two counts of aggravated assault.
The district attorney announced the findings during a press conference on Monday (September 8) at the West Shore Regional Police Department. The ruling comes after a thorough investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police, which confirmed that the "handgun" was actually a pellet gun.