Pocono News Section

Deadly Police Shooting Appears to be Justified

Deadly Police Shooting Appears to be Justified - Monday, June 30, 2008 at 6:00PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Monday, Jun 30, 2008 @ 06:00pm EST
RIDGEBURY TWP., BRADFORD COUNTY- A deadly police shooting in Bradford County appears to be justified. That's the word Monday from the District Attorney. It happened early Sunday morning in Ridgebury Township, very close to the New York border.

It was Bradford Vounty's first deadly police shooting in more than two decades. 44-year-old Norman Fuller was shot by troopers from the Towanda barracks after he pulled out a rifle and engaged them in a fight.

District Attorney Daniel Barrett says fuller provoked the gunfire. “Pennsylvania law allows the use of deadly force to prevent serious bodily injury or death to another person. In this case, it appears that Mr. Fuller was trying to incite that deadly force to be used against him."

Troopers went to fuller's father's house where the 44-year-old was staying to check on him after he threatened to hurt himself. Investigators still haven't said how many shots were fired. While the investigation into Sunday's deadly police shooting is just getting underway, we're learning more about the victim as well. The D. A. in Towanda says he's no stranger to the law. “Mr. Fuller's had been charged in January with indecent assault on a minor child. There was also a report recently of another such matter," said Barrett.

The D. A. also says fuller also had past arson, assault and drug convictions. Terry Arthur is a former classmate of fullers. She remembers him as a fun-loving guy. “He was a real fun, lively guy. Most people who knew him, liked to be around him. He could keep you going," she said.

Now the investigation into what happened is still ongoing and should take several more days before a final report is released. The names of the state police troopers involved in yesterday's deadly shooting have not been released. They have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.