Man Shot Dead After Standoff With Police in Potter Brook, Tioga County Last Night
81-year-old man dead after shootout with State Police and SERT
POTTER BROOK, Westfield Township – A Tioga County man is dead as the result of a shootout with State Police and a State Police Emergency Response Team (SERT) last night in Potter Brook, a small town between Ulysses and Westfield in Pennsylvania.
State Police responded to the home of 81-year-old James Pizzinato on Route 49 in the Village of Potter Brook to a serve a Mental Health Warrant, when Pizzinato answered the door with a revolver in hand.
According to reports, Pizzinato began waving the revolver at officers, who then retreated to their vehicles and called in the State Police Emergency Response Team (SERT). After arriving on scene, State Police and SERT established a perimeter around the man’s home, and began negotiating with him.
After some time, Pizzinato exited his home and began firing at officers, who returned fire, killing him.
Route 49 was shutdown until early this morning. Neighbors report that the man was terminally ill with Leukemia and had only weeks to live.
The Tioga County District Attorney’s office and the PA State Police have launched a full investigation into the incident.
