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Police in Pittsburgh were working to evacuate residents in the Garfield neighborhood after a suspect opened fire on officers trying to serve an eviction notice on Wednesday (August 23) morning.
"The active scene in Garfield began this morning when a detail from our office attempted to serve an eviction notice, which was followed by gunfire from the occupant of the residence," Allegheny County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Mike Manko said.
Manko said that one of the officers suffered a minor non-gunfire-related injury during the initial encounter with the shooter.
A woman who lives across the street from the shooter described how she rushed to take cover as bullets started hitting her house.
"When they went in, I just heard him shoot out. And then it was a barrage of bullets," she told WPXI. "I was trying to get down to the basement, but I was holed up in my work office because the bullets were so close."
"After that, I just was able to make it, crawl down to the basement."
The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety urged residents to call 911 and said that officers would help get them to safety.
"Officers are beginning to evacuate people from the houses in the 4800 block of Broad St. If you are inside, please shelter in place, dial 911, and identify your address, location. Officers will be entering to help guide you to safety," the department wrote on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.
While officials have not identified the suspect, WPXI is reporting that his name is William Hardison Sr. The station said that he is a squatter who is part of the sovereign citizens' movement, which means he believes that the laws of the country do not apply to him.
He has fired over 100 shots and shot down at least two police drones.