Authorities have released body-worn camera footage and 911 recordings from a February 2024 incident that killed two people, including a man who died while in police custody.
The Attorney General’s Office released the recordings as the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability continues its investigation into the death of Armond Avitable, 38, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Avitable, who died from a medical episode while in police custody, is accused of shooting and killing Cheryl Schilling in her Knowlton home on February 12. He then fled the house and ran to the intersection of Interstate 80 and Route 46, where troopers confronted him.
The videos show Avitable shirtless and crawling on the ground in a grassy area near the highway. Three officers handcuffed him as he lay face down on his belly.
The officers attempted to roll him over and stand him up, but Avitable appeared to be out of breath and attempted to kick the officers several times, according to the video.
The officers can be heard telling him to “relax, take a breath” in order to stop moving before asking if an ambulance is on its way. “We’re probably going to need a rig here because his heart’s going to pop,” according to one officer.
According to the video, Avitable became unresponsive after struggling with officers for more than 10 minutes. When they noticed he had stopped moving, they rolled him onto his back and began CPR, as shown in the video.
Troopers administered lifesaving measures to him, including a defibrillator, before transporting him to Lehigh Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9 p.m., officials said.
According to authorities, the incident began at 7:51 p.m. on February 12, 2024, when Sgt. Kyle Bruno and troopers Sarah Heitzenroede, Justin Watts, Connor McNemar, and Conner Krueger responded to a report of an active shooter near Columbia Street in Knowlton.
Avitable was at a friend’s house after being transported there following a domestic dispute with an unidentified woman, Warren County prosecutors stated at the time.
Soon after, Avitable, his friend, and his friend’s wife, 58-year-old Cheryl Schilling, began arguing, prompting Avitable to become “agitated and aggressive,” according to authorities.
Avitable grabbed a pump action shotgun and chased the Schillings into an upstairs bedroom before shooting Cheryl Schilling twice, once in the arm and once in the upper torso, according to authorities.
Cheryl Schilling was pronounced dead on the scene, according to authorities.
Avitable fled the house, telling two neighbours outside that he “had to shoot her because he (Mr. Schilling) was coming for him,” before firing two more shots into the Schilling home, authorities said.
Avitable then abandoned the gun on the property and fled to the intersection of I-80 and Route 46, where troopers apprehended him, officials said.
The state has not released an official cause of death for Avitable. The Attorney General’s Office is still investigating.
