Holly MatkinMcKeesport, PA – A manhunt is underway for a convicted felon accused of shooting a McKeesport police officer in the neck and torso after being arrested on Sunday afternoon.
Police said 22-year-old Koby Lee Francis was handcuffed and sitting in the back of the officer’s patrol vehicle when the shooting occurred, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
The incident began at approximately 2:55 p.m., when Francis was served with a protection order at the police department stemming from a domestic violence situation.
About an hour after he was served, McKeesport police received a report he was sitting in a vehicle outside 1505 Yester Square in violation of the terms of the order, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
A 32-year-old officer responded to the scene and took Francis into custody, handcuffing him behind his back, according to police.
The officer also allegedly located a firearm inside the suspect’s vehicle, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
At some point during his arrest, Francis became combative and ended up kicking a window out of the back of the patrol vehicle as he was being transported to the police station, police said.
When they arrived at the station, the officer opened the back door of the patrol vehicle to remove the combative suspect, at which point Francis allegedly pulled out a second firearm and shot the officer three times, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
Police said the officer was able to return fire, but that the does not believe any of the rounds struck his attacker, according to KDKA.
Francis apparently slipped his handcuffs to the front after being arrested, video footage of him fleeing the scene showed.
The officer, who was able to radio for help, was rushed to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian with two gunshot wounds to his neck and one to his left shoulder, McKeesport Police Chief Adam Alfer told WTAE.
The four-year veteran-of-the-force was listed in critical, but stable, condition on Sunday night, The Tube City Almanac reported.
Allegheny County police are leading the investigation into the incident, according to KDKA.
Multiple local law, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are aiding in the ongoing search for Francis, KDKA reported.
Police described him as a six-foot, two-inch black male with a thin build, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
He has dark eyes black hair, and was last seen wearing camouflage pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, and black shoes with white soles.
Police said Francis should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police throughout Allegheny County looking for this man, 22-year-old Koby Lee Francis of McKeesport, in connection with the shooting of a McKeesport police officer outside of the McKeesport police station late this afternoon. If you have any info, call 911 immediately ! pic.twitter.com/nZxOgPFZPq
— AlleghenyCountyDA (@AlleghenyCoDA) December 21, 2020
He faces charges of firearms violation, aggravated assault, flight to avoid apprehension, escape, and attempted homicide.
According to court records, Francis was arrested in 2017 in connection with an armed robbery in McKeesport, The Tube City Almanac reported.
He pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy in 2018, and was given a three-year probation sentence.
But within the year, Francis was arrested again on over 12 new charges, to include eight counts of possession of drugs with intent to deliver, The Tube City Almanac reported.
He was one of 70 people arrested in connection with the seven-month-long investigation, according to prosecutors.
Francis pleaded guilty to one count of criminal conspiracy and two counts of possession with intent to deliver in June of 2019, according to The Tube City Almanac.
He was sentenced to one year in jail, followed by two years of probation.
