DA: Shootings by police officers in Allentown justified

ALLENTOWN (AP) — An eastern Pennsylvania prosecutor says a pair of shootings by police officers that wounded two men in the final days of last year were both justified.

In the first Allentown shooting, a man was shot by police during a six-hour standoff that began on Christmas night and during which authorities said multiple shots were fired from a window at officers. He faces aggravated assault and reckless endangerment charges.

In the second case, a man alleged to have been carrying a replica handgun resembling a .45-caliber weapon was shot by an officer responding to a large street fight on Dec. 29. He was charged with aggravated assault against a police officer. Police said he has been re-hospitalized for complications but is in stable condition.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said that in both cases, the officers were justified in using deadly force to protect themselves and/or other officers.