(WJET/WFXP)– The Erie police officer involved in a fatal crash that also injured a nearby pedestrian in September 2025 has been found not guilty of careless driving resulting in accidental death.
According to online court documents, Officer Shawn Stafford appeared before Judge Lisa Frerrick for a summary trial on Tuesday for careless driving causing unintentional death and failure to stop at a red signal.
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Court documents show Stafford was found not guilty of the careless driving offense but guilty of failure to stop at a red signal.
Stafford was responding to a call on September 12, 2025, with Chief of Erie Police Rick Lorah telling us previously that he was heading south on Sassafras with his lights and sirens on, responding to another officer requesting assistance, when the police cruiser struck a vehicle in the intersection…