In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Criminal Division, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Milton Mulholland and Michael G. Albert, defendants [electronic resource] : proceedings [of] jury trial. One CD-ROM located in the AIS library with the call number: KF244.G36 P463 1996.
No restrictions.
Wayne Babish, who was Police Chief of Brentwood at the time of the Gammage incident, originally acquired the records. He subsequently gave them to Attilio Favorini.
Gift from Dr. Attilio "Buck" Favorini to the Archives Service Center in January 2012.
No copyright restrictions.
Included in this collection is the 844 page transcription of the Proceedings of the Coroner's Inquest into the death of Jonny Gammage. Arthur G. Gilkes, Deputy Coroner for Allegheny County was presiding, with Christopher Conrad, Assistant District Attorney for the Commonwealth, Robert Colville, District Attorney and Jim Gregrich, Acting Coroner, examining the witnesses. The transcription was completed by Karen A. Nickel, Registered Professional Reporter for the Nickel Reporting Service of Pittsburgh and Wheeling. Thirty-seven individuals were called to testify during the three day hearing.
Below is an index to individual testimony provided during the hearing:
Albert, Michael George (Officer, Baldwin Police)—p. 235-279
Babish, Wayne (Chief of Police, Brentwood)—p. 816-842
Brennan, Richard (Resident, Bethel Park)—p. 511-539
Bunting, Steven (American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers)—p. 765-804
Cenci, Todd (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p.588-595
Cox, Gary (Supervisor, Brentwood EMS)—p. 488-499
Dent, Jerome (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 642-650
Dison, Nancy (Volunteer, Brentwood EMS)—p. 410-421
Fleming, James (Officer, Baldwin Police)—p. 342-394
Fox, Matt (Emergency Medical Technician, ??)—p. 421-437
Frank, Dr. Leonard (Resident Physician, University of Pittsburgh)—p. 472-488
Grafenstaff, Edward (Lawyer, Whitehall)—p. 565-572
Hahn, Dennis (Criminalist & Drug Chemist, Allegheny County Crime Lab)—p. 676-690
Henderson, Keith B. (Sergeant, Whitehall Police)—p. 103-164
Holiday, John E. (Resident, Greensburg)—p.582-588
Kupez, Kevin A. (Resident, Baldwin)—p. 572-575
Kramer, Doris Jean (Dispatcher, Brentwood Police)—p. 437-461
Lattner, Regis (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 606-618
May, Ronald (Sergeant, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 813-816
Mazon, Dennis (Resident, Crafton)—p. 545-565
Miller, John (Resident, South Side of Pittsburgh)—p. 539-545
Morgan, Richard (Resident, Baldwin)—p. 499-511
Mulholland, Milton E. (Lieutenant, Brentwood Police)—p. 7-103
Patterson, Shawn (Officer, Whitehall Police)—p. 282-342
Payne, John A. (Resident, Duquesne)—p.575-582
Retsch, James (Sergeant, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 627-633
Rogowski, Henry A. (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p.595-606
Ross, Keith (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 650-668
Rudd, Christopher (Paramedic, Baldwin EMS)—p. 461-472
Rudic, Steven (Paramedic, Brentwood EMS)—p. 394-410
Seals, Raymond B. (Cousin of Jonny Gammage & Player, Pittsburgh Steelers)—p. 618-625
Seals, Thomas M. (Father of Raymond, Uncle of Jonny Gammage & Officer, Syracuse (NY) Police)—p.808-813
Shakir, Dr. Abdulrezak Mosa (Forensic Pathologist, Allegheny County Coroner's Office)—p.690-765 & 804-808
Uva, Nicholas (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p.633-642
Vojtas, John (Officer, Brentwood Police)—p. 164-235
Wecht, Dr. Cyril (Physician, Forensic Pathologist, and Attorney )—p.745-765
Wright, Sylvester (Officer, Pittsburgh Police)—p. 668-676
The transcription of the testimony given at the Coroner's Inquest is arranged in three series, one series for each day of testimony.
This collection was processed by David R. Grinnell in May 2013.
Proceedings of the Allegheny County (Pa.) Office of the Coroner's Open Inquest into the death of Jonny Gammage, 1995, AIS.2012.08, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Proceedings of the Allegheny County (Pa.) Office of the Coroner's Open Inquest into the death of Jonny Gammage, 1995, AIS.2012.08, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
On October 12, 1995 police officers from Brentwood, Baldwin and Whitehall in the South Hills of Pittsburgh stopped motorist Jonny Gammage, who was driving a Jaguar on Route 51, just inside the city limits of Pittsburgh. Within minutes of the vehicle being pulled over, an altercation between the officers and Gammage took place, with Gammage being restrained and forced to the ground. Gammage died at the scene.
From November 1-3, 1995, the Allegheny County Coroner's office conducted an inquest into the death of Mr. Gammage. The jury at the inquest ruled that homicide charges should be brought against the five officers involved in the restraint of Gammage. The officers were: Milton Mullholland (Brentwood Police), John Vojtas (Brentwood Police), Michael Albert (Baldwin Police), Keith Henderson (Whitehall Police) and Shawn Patterson (Whitehall Police). Ultimately, District Attorney Robert Colville chose to file involuntary manslaughter charges against Mullholland, Albert and Vojtas. Mullholland and Albert were tried together and their first trial ended in a mistrial and a second trial ended with the jury deadlocked. Vojtas' was tried separately and found not guilty.
Jonny Gammage, an African-American, was visiting his cousin Ray Seals, Jr., in Pittsburgh. Seals played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time. Both Gammage and Seals had been born and reared in Syracuse, NY, and had maintained a close relationship throughout their lives. While in Pittsburgh, Seals loaned his Jaguar to Gammage to drive.
The Gammage case ignited the Pittsburgh region with controversy. Accusations of racism and police brutality were made. There was wide spread national media coverage of this case and it became the subject of several song lyrics and a play. The incident was also one of the impetuses for creation of a Citizens Police Review Board in the City of Pittsburgh.
University of Pittsburgh Professor Attilio "Buck" Favorini is an award winning playwright who wrote "The Gammage Project," based on the events of October 12, 1995. The transcription of the coroner's inquest found here are from Favorini and was used by him during his research on the case.
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