Police Brutality / Individual record
Jonny Gammage
Jonny Gammage, a 31-year-old Black businessman, died from suffocation during restraint by suburban Pittsburgh police officers in 1995.
- Record ID
- PB-016
- Incident date
- October 12, 1995
- Date of death
- October 12, 1995
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Category
- Death following traffic stop
What happened
Officers stopped Gammage's vehicle and a struggle ensued involving several officers. An autopsy determined that pressure on his neck and chest caused asphyxiation. His family and advocates challenged the use of force and the failure to hold all officers accountable; the case generated repeated court proceedings and became a major Pittsburgh-area protest issue.
Investigation & findings
A coroner's jury recommended homicide charges against several officers. Only three were initially charged, and proceedings included multiple trials and dismissals; the historical timeline should be consulted for precise outcomes.
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- Historical source-derived record, pre-2015
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Published historical compilation of Black people killed in police custody (1999–2014)SAGE journal / cited NAACP LDF memorial listing · 2016 · Secondary scholarly source