Bristol Twp. Cops Cleared For Fatally Shooting Hatchet-Wielding Man

Two Bristol Township police officers have been cleared in relation to an officer-involved shooting that happened earlier this month.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub sent a letter Friday to Bristol Township police Chief Robert Coulton that said officers Patrick Kitchenman and David Wiser were “justified” for firing their service weapons at a hatchet-wielding man on Friday, March 2 shortly after 12:15 p.m. The man with the hatchet – Jose D. Gomez-Burgos, 29, of Bronx, New York – was struck three times by officers’ bullets and later pronounced dead at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Philadelphia.

“I have concluded that officers Patrick Kitchenman and David Wiser of your department were fully justified in discharging their weapons resulting in the death of subject Jose Gomez-Burgos,” Weintraub wrote.

As LevittownNow.com reported the day of the shooting, Gomez-Burgos was wanted by New York City police for a non-fatal stabbing in the Bronx. Authorities have since said that NYPD information turned over to Bucks County officials revealed Gomez-Burgos was wanted for the “brutal stabbing of the mother of his children.” Gomez-Burgos reportedly admitted to the stabbing in a 9-1-1 call to New York authorities and had told family members he wanted to die.

While on patrol, Wiser encountered a purple sedan with New York plates on the side of Edgely Road near Runway Road. The vehicle had been on the side of the road for “an extended period of time,” officials have previously said.

Weintraub detailed in his letter that Wiser called in the sedan’s license plate and quickly discovered the man was wanted for the New York stabbing. Additional officers backed up Wiser and Kitchenman as they ordered Gomez-Burgos from the vehicle.

Police in-car videos, according to Weintraub, showed Gomez-Burgos get out his vehicle with the hatchet upraised in his right hand as he moved “purposefully and quickly toward Officer Wiser.” An officer reportedly told the 29 year old to drop the weapon as he got within a few feet of Wiser. At that point, Wiser and Kitchenman discharged their weapons.

The videos were backed up  by statements from independent witnesses.

Officers quickly began life-saving efforts after shooting Gomez-Burgos and medics rushed him to the hospital.

After Gomez-Burgos was shot, police discovered he had a knife secreted in his left hand, Weintraub said.

An autopsy revealed that Gomez-Burgos was struck three times and died due to blood loss from a torn aorta, which is the largest and main blood-carrying artery.

“Unquestionably, the defendant disregarded lawful commands from Officer Wiser and other officers to stop and to drop his weapons,” the district attorney wrote. “The subject clearly placed Officer Wiser in apparent danger of death or serious bodily injury,” creating “a situation in which it was inevitable that the officers would open fire at him both in self-defense and in defense of their fellow officers.”

“For the foregoing reasons I am entirely satisfied that both officers Kitchenman and Wiser were justified in shooting Jose Gomez-Burgos. Since neither officer is culpable in this matter, our investigation is accordingly closed,” Weintraub’s letter concluded.

The officer-involved shooting was investigated by the Bucks County Detectives. It is standard practice in Bucks County for the district attorney to determine whether use of lethal force was justified.

Weintraub wrote that in-car video from two police vehicles was “most helpful” in aiding him as he made his determination.

Bristol Township police last shot a subject in August 2011. A sergeant shot a 46-year-old man and injured him after he allegedly pointed a shotgun at police while he was distraught.  The incident happened along Newportville Road and was ruled as justified by then-District Attorney David Heckler.