Charges are not expected to be filed against the brother of former policeman Anthony J. Galla, who was killed by a U.S. Marshals Task Force Tuesday night in a hotel room in Upper Darby after shooting a man in the foot in Mount Carmel earlier in the day.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said Friday he doesn't anticipate Galla's brother or his girlfriend will be charged. Chitwood, who did not identify either of the individuals with Galla at the Summit Hill Hotel when the shooting occurred, described them as "cooperative witnesses."
Police reported Galla's brother, who is in his 30s, attempted to convince his sibling to turn himself over to authorities and alerted Galla after spotting U.S. marshals setting up surveillance at the hotel. The 23-year-old girlfriend of Galla's brother hid inside a bathroom in the hotel room where the fugitive was shot, police said.
Galla, 31, of Cleona, was a former policeman who previously worked part time with Kulpmont, Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel Township and Butler Township (Schuylkill County) police departments.
An autopsy on Galla was conducted Friday afternoon by Dr. Frederic Hellman of the Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office. A report could not be obtained Friday.
Weapons in room, car
Chitwood said a bulletproof vest, 500 rounds of live ammunition, shotgun shells, ammunition for an AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber Glock handgun that Galla reportedly pointed at law enforcement authorities before being shot, a pepper spray grenade, a mask, hatchets and knives were found inside the hotel room.
Another search warrant revealed an AR-15 rifle with a 30-round magazine fully loaded, four additional .30-caliber magazines and 150 rounds of ammunition were discovered in the trunk of a Honda Accent rented by Galla that was parked outside the hotel.
Chitwood believes U.S. Marshals Task Force members were justified in firing 52 shots at Galla because he pointed a loaded handgun at them and gave several indications of wanting to commit suicide or get into a shootout with police. Police previously reported Galla did not fire a shot.
Although he could not provide the number of shots that actually struck Galla, Chitwood said, "He was shot numerous times."
"It's important to remember that this was a federal case involving U.S. marshals whose job is to hunt down fugitives," Chitwood said. "This was a man charged with attempted murder who fired seven shots in a room trying to kill his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend in Mount Carmel. He had law enforcement and military experience and was known to be in possession of an AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber Glock and two other firearms."
'Fired until safe'
Chitwood said three U.S. marshals and one state trooper armed with weapons approached the hotel room. He said three of them came through the door with their guns drawn and confronted Galla, while the fourth remained outside.
"They had a gun pointed at them," he said. "They weren't going to wait for him to shoot them. It took about five to 10 seconds to fire the rounds."
Asked if 52 shots were necessary, Chitwood replied, "They fired until they felt they were safe and the situation was resolved. I don't have a problem with how many shots they fired. If they fired 150 shots I wouldn't have a problem. They were in fear of their lives."
Chitwood said the situation would have been much worse if Galla had opened fire with the weapons he had at his disposal.
Although he doesn't believe the task force did anything wrong in the shooting, he said that determination will be made by the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
Brother's account
Chitwood told the Delaware County Times that Galla's brother gave the following account of what happened:
"(Galla) came down and says, 'I want a room, I shot a guy,'" Chitwood recounted, adding that Galla's brother responded, "Turn yourself in."
"No," Galla said, according to Chitwood. "I'm not turning myself in. I don't want to go to jail."
Chitwood said they then had some food from McDonald's and Galla's brother continued to try to cajole him to turn himself into authorities.
To which, Galla, allegedly repeated, "I'm not going to prison."
Around 1 p.m., Galla got a room at the Summit Inn Hotel and shortly after 5 p.m., the U.S. Marshals Task Force was setting up surveillance and Galla's brother saw them, according to Chitwood.
"He then made a quick approach to the second floor in the hotel and as he was running toward Room 207, he was hollering in a loud voice, 'I'm not Anthony, I'm not Anthony,' alerting Anthony who was inside the room," Chitwood said, according to the Delaware County Times story.
"As (the task force members) kicked the door in inside the hotel room, by the bed, by the window, is Galla pointing a fully loaded, .40-caliber Glock at them," Chitwood said. "The marshals then fired."
"He was ready to go," Chitwood said. "He was locked and loaded."
Started in Mount Carmel
The tragic tale started at 12:55 a.m. Tuesday at the home of Marlene Lloyd, 244 S. Walnut St., on the east side of Mount Carmel. Borough police said Galla knew the location of a hidden key when he left himself into the house, where he once resided with Lloyd, and woke her by shining a flashlight in her face.
Galla and Lloyd went into the hallway, but when her new boyfriend, Daniel McNally, 48, of Hegins, went to check on them, he said Galla pointed a semi-automatic handgun at him.
McNally retreated, saying 'I will leave' several times and got on the floor beside the bed," police wrote in a criminal complaint they filed that day against Galla.
At that point, McNally said Galla entered the room, stood approximately six feet from him and fired one round, missing him. Police said Galla paused and looked at Lloyd before turning his attention back to McNally. He fired the gun again several times, hitting him once in the foot. Galla left the residence when Lloyd went to check on McNally, police said.
McNally, who was later transported to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, for treatment, was upgraded from serious condition Tuesday to fair condition on Wednesday. He has since been discharged, a nursing supervisor said Friday.