The Incident
The car that Gammage was driving, a Jaguar, belonged to NFL player Ray Seals, Gammage's cousin. Seals was not present; he had loaned the car to Gammage, who was visiting from his hometown of Syracuse, New York. According to court testimony, Lieutenant Milton Mullholland of the Brentwood Police Department began following Gammage as he drove northbound on State Route 51, after noticing that Gammage had braked when passing Mullholland's patrol car, which was parked on the side of the road. After driving behind Gammage for more than a mile and a half (leaving Brentwood and entering City of Pittsburgh limits) Mulholland decided to stop Gammage because Gammage repeatedly braked to slow his car – despite the fact that the portion of the roadway on which Gammage was traveling is graded and braking is necessary to remain within the speed limit. Upon stopping Gammage, Mullholland called for backup, but rather than a general backup call, he specifically requested the presence of Officer John Vojtas on the scene.
As Mullholland ran computer checks on Gammage's driver's license and the car registration, Sgt. Keith Henderson of the Whitehall Police Department arrived on the scene. Witnessing Gammage talking on his cellular telephone inside the vehicle, Henderson shone his flashlight into Gammage's car and drew his weapon. Officer John Vojtas of Brentwood arrived next, and with his weapon drawn, had a loud discussion with Gammage which resulted in Gammage exiting the car, cellular telephone and datebook in hand. Vojtas knocked the items to the ground using his flashlight. When he raised his flashlight, Gammage knocked the flashlight from Vojtas's hand. Vojtas and Henderson tackled Gammage and wrestled him to the ground. Mullholland joined in the altercation, helping the other two men pin the struggling Gammage to the ground. Officer Michael Albert of the Baldwin Police Department (who had arrived in response to the backup request) approached and attempted to assist in handcuffing him. Officer Shawn Peterson of the Whitehall Police Department also became involved, and joined Vojtas, Mullholland and Henderson in holding Gammage down, as one or more of the men struck him with flashlights. Gammage was eventually handcuffed, at which time only the two Whitehall officers, Henderson and Patterson, remained in contact with him, one sitting on Gammage's legs, another holding his upper body.
Within just seven minutes, Gammage lay dead. The coroner's report showed his cause of death to be asphyxiation due to pressure applied to the chest and neck. His last words were alleged to be "Keith, Keith, I'm 31. I'm only 31."
Read more about this topic: Johnny Gammage
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