A Wilkinsburg police officer who shot and killed a man last year is the same officer who tipped off other officers that a mural honoring the slain man was being painted, leading to felony charges against the artists, documents show.
Officer Robert Gowans shot and killed 24-year-old Romir Talley just after 1 a.m. Dec. 22, allegedly in response to a shot fired toward Gowans by Talley.
Talley’s family has disputed that version of events, and their attorney, Paul Jubas, has said a newly discovered witness contradicts the official narrative.
A large mural in memory of Talley went up on the side of a Penn Avenue building in July amid Black Lives Matter protests across Allegheny County and the nation. According to a criminal complaint filed against the individuals accused of painting the mural, Gowans reported the painting to other officers as it was happening.
Wilkinsburg Police Officer John Snyder wrote in the complaint that Gowans alerted a sergeant about 7:30 p.m. July 11 that “a mural was being painted for Romir Talley at Penn and Center.”
Multiple officers responded to the scene of the painting and questioned Connor Clarke, Krystyna Haberman and Joshua Krajnah as to whether they had permission to paint the Penn Avenue building. They responded that they did not, and they’d “just decided to do it,” according to the complaint.
Police said the cost to remove the mural was estimated to be $7,200. The mural has since been painted over, but it’s not clear whether that was done professionally at the expense of the building owners or if they or someone else did it themselves.
Wilkinsburg police could not immediately be reached for comment.
The three individuals found painting the mural that night all face one charge each of felony criminal mischief and felony conspiracy to commit criminal mischief.
