OVERVIEW
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Officer Frank Schulze was involved in an off-duty shooting on Feb. 2, 2016. His employment included working law enforcement as a School Resource Officer, part time patrolman for Carbondale, PA Police Department, and assisting on investigations at another department, at the time of this shooting. He was responding to a disturbance outside his home. He heard a woman screaming, called out to her, and when she did not respond, he went inside his house, grabbed his gun, and went into the front yard. The events of this night led to a shooting that resulted in the death of Joseph Molinaro. Following that shooting, Schulze was charged by a newly appointed District Attorney for open criminal homicide (Murder 1,2, 3) and aggravated assault, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. These actions by inexperienced District Attorneys- including charges across the board without any real reasoning to justify any of them- is what we are calling 'The Mosby Effect', in reference to State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby from Baltimore, MD. What We KnowOfficer Schulze was in his back yard when he heard a woman scream from the front of his house. He called out to the woman and received no response. Not knowing what was happening in front of his property, he ran inside, grabbed his gun, and went to the front yard to see a man standing in his driveway, saying that Schulze didn't want a problem, so he needed to go inside and call 911. After Schulze identified himself as a police officer, the man fled. Schulze gave pursuit and called 911. The man involved in the altercation was Joseph Molinaro. Molinaro was wearing a hoodie and repeatedly put his hands at his waist. Officer Schulze gave commands to stop and get on the ground, but Molinaro, whose blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit that night, refused. At one point, Molinaro turned back towards Officer Schulze and aggressively came towards the officer. Officer Schulze fired three rounds, two of them striking Molinaro in the Chest/Abdomen area and leg. He succumbed to his wounds that evening. Officer Schulze was charged in late March 2016. Officer Schulze's charges are listed above. Because of the criminal homicide, Murder in the 1st degree charge, Schulze is required by Pennsylvania state law to be held without bond. He has been awaiting trial in a Pennsylvania corrections facility since Spring 2016. His trial date is March 20, 2017. Please see the media links on the right column and our FAQ page for frequently asked questions about this case. District Attorney Shane Scanlon is up for election this year after being appointed to the District Attorney position in early 2016. | In The News
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