On May 28, police were called to the 100 block of North 28th Street in South Whitehall Township following an anonymous 911 call, during which resident Gary Moyer claimed a man in his 60s or 70s was shooting at people with a rifle. Upon arriving on the scene, officers encountered Moyer exiting his home with a single shot rifle.
When Moyer began approaching the officers and their vehicles with the firearm, verbal commands to drop the weapon were repeatedly given over a patrol vehicle’s PA system. A round of less lethal bean bag shots failed to deter him. Three of the officers fired regular rounds at Moyer when he lifted the gun and pointed it in their direction.
A statement from Gavin Holihan, Lehigh County District Attorney, shared that the gun Moyer was carrying was later found to be non-operable, although he emphasized that there was no way for officers to have known that it was incapable of discharging ammunition in the moment…