PITTSBURGH, Pa. (EYT) – Peter Spencer’s family, the man who was shot to death at a camp in Rockland Township, will hold a press conference on Monday at 3 p.m. in response to Venango County District Attorney Shawn White’s decision to not file homicide charges in the case.
The announcement was made by the family’s attorney, Paul Jubas, Esq., a civil rights lawyer based out of Pittsburgh. The press conference will be livestreamed on Jubas’ instagram account, @pauljubasesq.
The press conference will also include Dr. Cyril Wecht, the esteemed forensic pathologist and medical examiner, who is best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission’s findings concerning the John F. Kennedy assassination.
“All aspects of the case will be addressed,” the announcement said.
Spencer, a 29-year-old Jamaican immigrant, was shot nine times by a Mercer man at a camp at 279 Carls Road in Rockland Township.
According to White’s press conference on March 15, the shooting was determined to be self-defense after the investigation revealed Spencer causing fear among the campers by shooting over 30 rounds from an AK-47 as well as threatening the campers.
White said the suspect was legally justified in shooting Spencer under the Castle Doctrine, better known as the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Franklin-based State Police said the suspect had invited some friends to his family’s camp along Carls Road near the Allegheny River in the Emlenton area. He and his friends were drinking around the campfire when one friend, Spencer, “got an AK-47 assault rifle out and started shooting it up into the air.”
Spencer started yelling at them and demanding that they get more wood for the fire. Spencer “went insane,” according to the witnesses, and later took their car keys and made them get on the ground. Spencer was pointing the AK-47 at the suspect, and the suspect subsequently shot him nine times with his pistol. The suspect and another friend drove up to a nearby location where cellular service was available and called 9-1-1.
Pennsylvania State Police responded to the scene by meeting the suspect and one witness, a white male from New Castle, at a nearby church and followed them to the scene. The suspect’s 9mm pistol used in the shooting was collected as evidence. Upon arrival at the camp, Spencer was located in the yard of the camp, face-down near a smoldering fire pit and in front of a detached garage. Spencer was determined to be deceased at this point. The AK-47 assault rifle, found in front of the garage, was collected by police.
The suspect told police that he moved the rifle away from Spencer’s body after the shooting. The suspect clarified that, in doing so, he “cleared” the rifle by removing the loaded magazine and clearing a round from the chamber. The suspect then placed the AK-47 assault rifle, magazine, and round he ejected from it on the ground in front of the garage.
A specific location will be announced closer to the date of the news conference.
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