3/20 Coalition stages ‘die-in’ for recusal, resignation of county DA over handling of Osagie case
A small contingent of the 3/20 Coalition staged a “die-in” outside the Centre County Courthouse Annex on Thursday, calling for the recusal or resignation of the local district attorney responsible for clearing police in the 2019 shooting death of a local Black man.
A half-dozen members sprawled out on the sidewalk while a seventh outlined their bodies with chalk, an act typically associated with homicide investigations. One of the goals of the group, named after the date that 29-year-old Osaze Osagie was killed, was to push for an independent investigation after news recently surfaced regarding the questionable past of the State College officer who pulled the trigger.
“At the end of the day, we’re just fighting for Osaze Osagie,” organizer Robin Moussa said. “This is just one more tactic.”
An independent investigation could prove difficult, however. County DA Bernie Cantorna cleared three officers in 2019 of wrongdoing based on an investigation performed by state police at Rockview. After new allegations surfaced in January that painted the officer who fired at and struck Osagie as mentally unstable and unfit for duty, Cantorna called for another investigation — to again be performed by state police at Rockview. The state police were previously unaware of the allegations or, an attorney for the Osagie family alleged in January, chose to ignore them.
Based on Pennsylvania law, the state attorney general cannot take up the case and have someone other than Rockview state police investigate unless Cantorna recuses himself. And Cantorna told the Centre Daily Times on Thursday that he has no intention to do so.
“The jurisdiction for these investigations is the local district attorney, and that’s me,” Cantorna said. “And, unless I have a conflict of interest, my responsibility is to address those issues and make those decisions.”
For 75 minutes Thursday, members of the 3/20 Coalition braved scattered flurries and held up signs — such as “Justice for Osaze” and “Black Lives Matter” — while writing similar messages in chalk. For 50 minutes, they laid on the sidewalk while pedestrians and nearby Domino’s delivery drivers performed double-takes.
They scribbled “Cantorna Must Go” outside the entrance to the building that houses his office, along with messages like “Resign Now” and “Recuse Thyself.”
“Bernie Cantorna was complicit,” Moussa added. “His incompetence left out major details in the investigation. We’re still getting more information two years later. ... The community deserves better.”
In an amended lawsuit filed by Osagie’s family, the former officer who shot and killed Osagie, M. Jordan Pieniazek, was accused of showing erratic behavior prior to exiting a rehab facility days before the shooting. He was also accused of “alcohol-fueled acts of domestic violence,” including using a pistol in a threatening manner in 2018. And the family alleged that now-retired Captain Chris Fishel received eyewitness information about Pieniazek’s “red flags” in the weeks before the shooting but did not act.
Osagie was killed in March 2019 when three white police officers arrived at his apartment to serve a mental health warrant. Police said Osagie moved toward them with a steak knife, with Pieniazek fatally shooting Osagie with his handgun after another officer fired his Taser, which was ineffective.
The 3/20 Coalition has been calling for another investigation for nearly two years. Both the State College Borough Council and administration offered support earlier this year for a further investigation, while Cantorna directed state police in January to look into the new allegations.
“His family deserves justice,” Moussa added.
