Sean Sluganski: The Shooting, Morris Case, and Memorials

Sean Sluganski was a 32-year-old McKeesport, Pennsylvania, police officer shot and killed in the line of duty on February 6, 2023, while responding to a mental health crisis call on Grandview Avenue. The man charged with his murder, Marine Corps veteran Johnathan Morris, remains in custody in Allegheny County awaiting trial. Prosecutors withdrew their intent to seek the death penalty in April 2026, and repeated turnover among assigned prosecutors has pushed the trial past its original spring 2026 dates.

What Happened on February 6, 2023

The call came in from Candace Tyler, who told a 911 dispatcher that her son, Johnathan Morris, was being aggressive and going through a PTSD episode at their Wilson Street home in McKeesport.¹ She told the dispatcher her son had served in the military and that weapons were in the home, though not involved in the altercation at that point.²

Officers Sluganski and Chuck Thomas Jr. were sent to the address. Morris had already left by the time they arrived, and his mother pointed the officers toward Sumac Street. About ten minutes later, Sluganski saw Morris running down Garbett Street. Witnesses on Grandview Avenue said Morris flagged them down, told them police were “trying to kill him,” and asked them to record the encounter.¹

Morris walked into a yard on Grandview. Thomas stopped his patrol car in a nearby alley while Sluganski approached on foot. Morris drew a handgun and opened fire, striking Thomas in the face. Thomas returned fire and hit Morris in the leg. Morris then shot Sluganski. He ran to a convenience store parking lot on Versailles Avenue, fired at a third arriving officer, and was taken into custody. Sluganski was pronounced dead at UPMC McKeesport. Thomas survived.

Who Sean Sluganski Was

Sean L. Sluganski was born October 29, 1990, and grew up in the Baldwin area south of Pittsburgh. He graduated from Baldwin High School in 2009 and joined the McKeesport Police Department as a patrol officer. Friends and colleagues called him “Slug.”³ He lived in North Baldwin Borough with his fiancée, Chelsea Cancilla, and their daughter, Haven.

His funeral Mass was held on February 14, 2023, at St. Albert the Great Church in Baldwin Borough. Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers attended, and more than 200 vehicles staged at Century III Mall and Acrisure Stadium for a procession that ran through Baldwin and McKeesport before ending at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in Pleasant Hills.⁴ Residents lined the route, and blue and black balloons were placed around the city.⁵

Cancilla called him the “best person I’ve ever known” and said he “brought the brightest light to every dark corner of my life.” Officer Thomas said, “I couldn’t have a better partner and he will forever be my hero.”⁵

In May 2024, Sluganski’s name was engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the 36th annual candlelight vigil for National Police Week. He was one of 282 fallen officers honored that year and one of six from Pennsylvania.⁶

His Partner, Officer Chuck Thomas

Radio traffic from the scene captured Officer Thomas calling in his own gunshot wound and Sluganski’s condition: “I’m shot in the face!” and “Sluganski’s down.”⁷ A year later, Thomas told CBS News Pittsburgh that his physical injuries had healed but that the emotional damage would not. He credited his partner with saving him: “Somebody was trying to hurt me and he got in the way for me.” Thomas said he did not know what his future in policing would look like.⁸

The Case Against Johnathan Morris

Johnathan Morris, 34, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2013 to 2018, including a deployment to Afghanistan during which he developed PTSD symptoms. He was treated during his service and received an honorable discharge.⁹ After his arrest, he was held first at Torrance State Hospital for a mental health evaluation and then transferred to the Allegheny County Jail.

He faces charges of criminal homicide, murder of a law enforcement officer in the first degree, assault of a law enforcement officer, and aggravated assault. The case sits before Judge Bruce Beemer in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.¹⁰

The Defense

In September 2024, Morris’s attorneys filed notice of an insanity defense, citing prior diagnoses of schizophrenia and chronic PTSD with paranoia and hypervigilance. The defense is also pursuing a self-defense theory, alleging that Officer Thomas struck Morris with his patrol car during the pursuit before any shots were fired. Defense counsel has sought access to Thomas’s personnel and disciplinary files, pointing to earlier investigations involving excessive force.⁹

Death Penalty Withdrawn

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty on March 21, 2023.¹⁰ Prosecutors rescinded that intent on April 1, 2026, five days after receiving Morris’s psychiatric records on March 27. In a five-page filing, they wrote that experts had been retained, that mental health reports had been generated and exchanged with the defense, and that “following due consideration of all of the relevant facts and circumstances, the commonwealth has decided not to seek a penalty of death.”¹¹ Morris still faces life in prison on the remaining charges.

Prosecutor Turnover and Delay

The prosecution has changed hands repeatedly. Jennifer Berosh became the fourth attorney to leave the case when her departure was announced during a February 2026 status conference. Deputy District Attorney Emma Schoedel took over, and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Newman had joined the team about a month before the hearing. District Attorney Stephen Zappala did not respond to requests for comment about the pattern.⁹

Jury selection had been scheduled for April 27, 2026, with testimony to begin May 4. The staffing changes and defense requests for time to prepare expert reports made those dates untenable. As of mid-2026, Judge Beemer had not formally issued a postponement order, but the original dates were not expected to hold.

Scholarships and Memorials

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation designated Sluganski’s family as recipients under its Fallen First Responder Home Program, which provides mortgage assistance to families of first responders killed in the line of duty.¹²

The Officer Sean Sluganski Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2023 by Larry Heidenreich, a retired Baldwin Borough police officer, in partnership with the Baldwin-Whitehall Educational Foundation. The Sluganski family, the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, several local police departments, and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91 co-sponsored the effort, which set a $75,000 capital campaign goal. A fundraising event called “Celebrating Sean” raised nearly $17,000 toward that target.¹³ The scholarship is awarded each year to a graduating Baldwin High School senior planning a career in law enforcement.¹⁴

1
Tube City Online. Suspect Charged in Shooting of Two Police Officers
2
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. McKeesport Police Shooting
3
John F. Slater Funeral Home. Officer Sean L. Sluganski
4
WTAE. McKeesport Police Officer Sean Sluganski Funeral
5
WPXI. Funeral for Fallen McKeesport Police Officer Sean Sluganski
6
CBS News Pittsburgh. Officer Sean Sluganski’s Name Added to National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
7
Police1. Police Radio Transmissions Show Chaos of Deadly Pa. Shooting
8
CBS News Pittsburgh. McKeesport Officer Chuck Thomas Remembers Partner Sean Sluganski
9
TribLive. Prosecutor’s Exit Could Delay Trial in McKeesport Cop Slaying
10
TribLive. Zappala No Longer Seeks Death Penalty in Sluganski Case
11
Mon Valley Independent. Death Penalty Withdrawn in Killing of Police Officer
12
Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Sean L. Sluganski
13
Baldwin-Whitehall School District. Celebrating Sean Raises Nearly $17,000 for Memorial Scholarship Fund
14
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Officer Sean Sluganski Memorial Scholarship