New Details In Upper Darby Police-Involved Shooting
By David Madden
UPPER DARBY, Pa., (CBS) -- A 54-year-old man was shot and killed outside his Upper Darby apartment last night after a brief but violent confrontation with police.
The victim, identified as David Zollo, called 911 threatening to harm himself. Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood says his officers had a number of dealings with Zollo over the years, mostly to address mental health concerns.
"He's been hospitalized at least 5 times since 2004," Chitwood told KYW Newsradio. "We have been to his residence numerous times for calls for attempted suicide."
Officers found Zollo in the parking lot of the Bishop Hollow Apartments with a knife. When a taser failed to subdue him and he continued to threaten them, officers fired a dozen shots, killing him.
"When you look at the whole scenario based on my experience," Chitwood said, "this is what they call suicide by cop."
Zollo's widow, Shellie Siegel Hoyt Zollo, turned to Facebook to express not only grief, but relief that "he is finally free of all the demons that had been plaguing him".
Upper Darby police and the Delaware County District Attorney are conducting separate investigations. The three officers involved in the incident are receiving counseling and will return to duty, Chitwood says, as soon as they are able.
