State police, DA sued over fatal shooting of teen on bridge

The parents of a 19-year-old man who was killed by state troopers on an overpass in the Pocono Mountains filed a wrongful-death suit Wednesday, saying video that Pennsylvania State Police initially tried to keep secret shows he was pointing a pellet gun in the air and not at the troopers when they fired the fatal shots.

The federal lawsuit says troopers had no reason to open fire on Christian Hall and claims three high-ranking officials — state police Commissioner Robert Evanchick, Monroe County District Attorney David Christine and Christine’s deputy, Michael Mancuso — took steps to conceal the details of the shooting in an attempt to protect the troopers.

State police shot and killed Hall “during a mental health emergency while he was standing with his hands up in the universal stance of surrender,” civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Devon Jacob said in a news release.

Mancuso, who has said the shooting was justified, accused Crump and Jacob of pushing a “false narrative.”

“The attempts by the attorneys to mislead the public and now the filing of a frivolous suit against the DA’s Office is yet another example that they are motivated not by the pursuit of justice but the allure of monetary gain,” Mancuso said via email.

A message was sent to state police seeking comment on the suit.

Troopers went to the Route 33 overpass over Interstate 80 in Monroe County on Dec. 30, 2020, in response to a report of a suicidal man and found Hall standing on the ledge, authorities have said.

Troopers spent about 90 minutes trying to persuade Hall to give up and drop the weapon, saying “We are here to help you” and offering him food, drink and a blanket. They also parked tractor-trailers beneath the overpass to reduce Hall’s fall if he jumped, authorities have said.

But Hall...