Off-duty officer gets probation in death of bystander trying to help police at Pennsylvania shooting

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This article was published 15/07/2025 (255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BEAVER, Pa. (AP) — An off-duty police officer who struck a bystander in the chest and knocked him to the ground as the man tried to give police information about a shooting outside in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the man’s death.

John J. Hawk, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation after entering the plea after jury selection in his scheduled trial in Beaver County, about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. He also pleaded guilty to assault and reckless endangerment in the November 2022 attack on Kenneth Vinyard, 48, outside a Walmart.

At the sentencing, Vinyard’s family described the man as the family glue, according to Attorney General Dave Sunday.

“This sworn officer’s actions contributed to the death of a man who was not a threat to anyone at the scene of this shooting,” Sunday said in a statement.

Hawk, an officer in Center Township, was in civilian clothing when he confronted the victim as he spoke to police, Sunday said. He died upon arrival at a hospital. A medical examiner found the blunt force trauma and related stress contributed to his death.

Hawk apologized to the victim’s family at his sentencing. His lawyer, Stephen Colafella, said his client had been “grappling with” Vinyard’s death before deciding to enter a plea. “I think a lot of people got closure today,” Colafella said Tuesday evening, noting that Hawk and the victim’s fiancee embraced in court. A related civil suit in the case has settled, and Hawk is no longer on the Center Township police force, he said.

“I hope that he can move on and have a good life with his family,” fiancee Marcy Beatty told WTAE-TV. “Ours is broken, and it will take a long time for that to heal.”

One person suffered a gunshot wound in the Walmart shooting, authorities said at the time.