HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that John J. Hawk pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and related offenses for assaulting Kenneth Vinyard — who later died — at the scene of a shooting outside a Walmart in Beaver County in 2022.
Trial testimony was to start Tuesday when Hawk instead entered guilty pleas to involuntary manslaughter, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. There was no agreement between the Office of Attorney General and defense counsel as to the sentence.
Beaver County Judge Richard Mancini sentenced Hawk, 38, to five years of probation.
“This sworn officer’s actions contributed to the death of a man who was not a threat to anyone at the scene of this shooting,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “My team was fully prepared to try this case, but, after selecting a jury on Monday, we were informed the defendant wished to plead guilty.”
At sentencing Tuesday, Vinyard’s family described the man as the glue that held their family together.
Vinyard was a bystander at a shooting scene outside the Walmart store in Center Township on November 6, 2022. As police investigated, the victim approached an officer about potential evidence he wanted to provide to police. Hawk, a Center Township police officer who was off-duty wearing casual clothing, confronted the victim and pulled him away from the officer.
Shortly after, as Hawk and the victim were standing, Hawk struck the victim in the chest — while performing a leg-sweep maneuver — which knocked the man to the ground.
The victim died upon arrival at an area hospital. The medical examiner determined that the blunt force trauma and accompanying stress inflicted by Hawk contributed to the death.
The Office of Attorney General’s investigation included a presentment from a Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Evan Lowry and Senior Deputy Attorney General Kara Rice.
# # #