Harrisburg, PA – The Dauphin County District Attorney, Fran Chardo, announced that no criminal charges will be filed in the shooting death of Paul M. Kattouf. The Harrisburg Bureau of Police conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that the use of deadly force by the shooter was justified under Pennsylvania’s self-defense laws.
The incident occurred when a family, consisting of a pregnant woman in her third trimester, her 7-year-old child, and her male partner, encountered Kattouf’s vehicle in a road rage incident. The family was en route to drop the male passenger at work and first encountered Kattouf’s car at Front and Reily Streets. Kattouf began yelling at the family over a traffic matter.
Following a detour, the family and Kattouf ended up on North 3rd Street. Concerned for their safety, the female driver called 911 to report the road rage incident while following the same route as Kattouf. When Kattouf parked his car on State Street, the family stopped behind him to relay his license plate number to the dispatcher. Unaware of their intentions, Kattouf believed they were following him and approached their car.
At the vehicle, Kattouf deployed pepper spray into the car, affecting the pregnant driver, the male passenger, and the child. As the driver attempted to fire her pistol in self-defense, she was incapacitated by the pepper spray. The male passenger then took the firearm from her and shot Kattouf once in the chest, resulting in his death.
The District Attorney emphasized that both the driver and passenger were legally permitted to carry a concealed firearm and their actions were deemed lawful. The male passenger acted within Pennsylvania’s self-defense statutes, as he had to make a split-second decision to protect his family from what he perceived as an imminent threat.
“This case is a tragedy involving a misapprehension of the circumstances by both parties, but the passenger’s misapprehension was reasonable under the circumstances,” said DA Chardo. “Under Pennsylvania law, his actions cannot carry criminal liability.”
The District Attorney’s Office extended condolences to the Kattouf family and highlighted the complexity and tragic nature of the incident. The investigation has been officially closed with no criminal charges filed against the family involved.
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