District Attorney Says Investigation Into Estrella Shooting Continues
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The investigation into the shooting of Miguel Estrella on March 25 by a Pittsfield Police officer continues as area residents demand more answers nearly two weeks after the deadly incident.
A march and vigil on Sunday was followed with a small gathering outside the District Attorney's Office on Tuesday afternoon.
District Attorney Andrea Harrington on Tuesday said the investigation was a priority but could still take some time.
"I recognize the community's urgent need for details, and I've requested that the involved agencies prioritize this investigation. Typically, these types of investigations take four to six months to complete but I am committed to significantly reducing that timeframe without compromising accuracy, thoroughness, or objectivity," she said in a statement.
On Tuesday, a handful of self-described left-wing organizers stood outside her office demanding justice for Estrella and reallocations of police spending.
Estrella fatally shot by police who said he was in a state of distress while wielding a knife. The event remains under investigation and the two responding officers have not been named.
Patrick Doyle, a lifelong Pittsfield resident, feels that the city has the right to know the officers' names because the citizens' tax money pays them.
"This is just more reason to radicalize people, to disarm the police, defund the police, we don't need military police or armed police on our streets," he said.
"I'm 40 years old, I've seen Pittsfield go down the tubes and the police get more money every year, they don't change anything, they don't stop crime, they solve 20 percent of the crime I think is the national statistic, so 80 percent of the time they're getting paid for nothing, and they murder people, and then we don't know who they are and they get paid leave, that's not right."
The demonstration included signs with slogans such as "fire the killer," "11 million for killer cops and scraps for our community," and "Pittsfield PD, where murder gets you paid vacation."
The group wants to see the officer who shot Estrella fired instead of being given administrative leave and for the Pittsfield Police Department's budget — which was about $11.5 million in the fiscal 2021— cut by $705,000 to reallocate that money into public projects.
The organizers said they want to conduct this protest weekly to further the conversation about Estrella's death and police brutality in general. On Sunday, nearly 200 people attended a march in downtown Pittsfield demanding justice for the 22-year-old man.
Another attendee, Wes Blackwell, said the group is frustrated but not surprised by the incident.
"Any time I've been in a situation and the police show up, they show up, and they're immediately belligerent, they never show up and ask, 'how can I help?'" Doyle said.
"They always show up with violence and it's not a thing that's just here in Pittsfield and Berkshire County, it's nationwide and money and guns don't solve it, I'd rather see police actually walking on the streets of Pittsfield than patrolling it with cars and guns because then they'd have a rapport with people and it's like they purposely do not form rapport."
He pointed to a situation that happened just days before police responded to Estrella where a Pittsfield man barricaded himself in a mobile home in Cheshire with a crossbow for hours, highlighting that the man was white and lived.
The man, Timothy Tatro, was arraigned soon after with charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, violation of an emergency restraining order, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace.
State Police assigned to the District Attorney's office have interviewed five civilian witnesses, five emergency medical technicians and the officers involved in the shooting. According to the DA's office, they have also canvassed the neighborhood several times to identify potential witnesses and seek video footage.
Investigators have also obtained medical records from Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield Police Department reports, photographs from the scene, reports from emergency medical services and have attended the autopsy and produced an initial autopsy report. They have also secured surveillance video, preserved social media postings from witnesses, and obtained and reviewed recordings of 911 calls, Pittsfield Police Department dispatches and radio transmissions and EMS radio transmissions. The office is obtaining transcripts of all audio and video statements.
They are further seeking ShotSpotter reports and the State Police Crime Lab will conduct testing and will provide ballistic reports on the guns and the Pittsfield Police Department will provide an analysis of the Tasers.
Harrington said she and First Assistant Karen Bell are reviewing the evidence and will draft written findings. The office will make Spanish translations of all transcriptions and written findings available to the Estrella family. The report will not be released until it is shared with the family.
The State Police have identified additional civilian witnesses that they seek to interview and encourage any other witnesses to contact the Berkshire Detective Unit at 413-499-1112.
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