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Thursday, April 17, 2003

By Jim McKinnon, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A Clairton man testified yesterday that the gun police say was used to shoot two Pittsburgh officers during a standoff in Homewood last year was still in his possession on the day of the shootings.

George Pirch, 75, testified that he reported the theft of the gun to Clairton police on March 29, 2002, telling them the gun had been stolen just days earlier.

Several Pittsburgh police officers have testified that they recovered the weapon on Feb. 20, 2002, moments after Cecil Brookins used it to shoot police Cmdr. Dom Costa and Officer Thomas Huerbin.

Brookins, 47, is on trial for attempted homicide. Testimony was to continue today.

Clairton police Officer Robert Hoffman, who took the report from Pirch regarding the gun theft, testified that Pirch was inarticulate during their interview and that Pirch's residence was filthy, with feces and newspapers strewn about.

Hoffman said Clairton officers found two .357 Magnum revolvers in Pirch's residence, though Pirch claimed that he only owned .38's.

Pirch testified that he had frequent female visitors -- he referred to them as girlfriends, while police said at least one was a prostitute -- who sometimes stole his guns and money.

He said a woman stole the pistol police say Brookins used in the shootings.

Defense attorney Charles Porter has contended that Brookins was not armed at the time of the standoff and the wounded officers shot each other.