Western PA Native FBI Agent Shot & Killed

[HiredGoon]

FBI agent shot, killed while serving warrant
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By Paula Reed Ward, Jim McKinnon and Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County Police have charged Christina Korbe, 40, of Indiana Township with homicide in connection with the shooting death of FBI Special Agent Samuel Hicks this morning.

Agent Hicks was shot as he and other agents were attempting to serve an arrest warrant in Indiana Township. Ms. Korbe is the wife of Robert Korbe, the man named in the warrant being served.

FBI spokesman Bill Crowley said the agent who was killed was not alone as he attempted to serve the warrant around 6 a.m. at a home in the 100 block of Woods Run Road, near the Middle Road Volunteer Fire Department headquarters and a township park that contains several soccer fields.

Agent Crowley said Agent Hicks was pronounced dead at UPMC St. Margaret Hospital.

Michael A. Rodriguez, agent in charge of the Pittsburgh FBI office, said Agent Hicks joined the FBI in March 2007 and was assigned to Pittsburgh in August 2007.

He said Agent Hicks, 33, who is survived by his wife, Brooke, and 3-year-old son, had been a Baltimore police officer and a school teacher before joining the FBI. He was a Western Pennsylvania native, a 1993 Southmoreland High School graduate and a 1999 biology graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He is the first FBI agent to be killed in the line of duty in the Pittsburgh area. Three other agents who were Pittsburgh-area natives were killed in the line of duty elsewhere.

Agent Hicks, of Richland, was a member of a multijurisdictional drug task force that was out this morning serving warrants. After the shooting, both Christine and Robert Korbe were taken into custody. Ms. Korbe was at county police headquarters in Point Breeze today. Shortly before 7 p.m., she was taken from there in an ambulance after complaining of stomach pains. Her attorney, Sumner Parker, said that she believed intruders had broken into her home, and concerned for the safety of her two children, she fired at them.

The agents were attempting to serve the warrant on Mr. Korbe. He was among 35 people being sought today for alleged conspiracy to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, according to a federal indictment unsealed today.

As he was being led from the Allegheny County Police headquarters this afternoon, Mr. Korbe told reporters, "They shot their own guy. I didn't shoot him."

"Based on the information we have right now, every indication is that no shot was fired by law enforcement at the crime scene. The investigation is continuing," said Agent Crowley.

The suspects were having their initial appearances in federal court today.

Court records show Mr. Korbe has a criminal record stretching back 17 years.

He was arrested by Pittsburgh police in September 1991 on drug, criminal trespass and a weapons charges. He pleaded guilty and was given two years probation.

In Sept. 1995, he was arrested by Allegheny County police on multiple drug charges. He pleaded guilty the following year and received three years probation on one case and five years on another.

Most recently, in August, he waived to court charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, escape, disorderly conduct, and possession and possession with intent to deliver cocaine. The charges were filed by Sharpsburg police in connection with an incident in May in which Mr. Korbe fought with officers from several departments and seriously injured the shoulder of an Etna officer, who remains off duty.

During the attempt to restrain Mr. Korbe, which included his being hit twice with a Taser, a bag of cocaine fell out of his pants. Four more bags were found on him after his arrest, totaling about five ounces of the drug, police said.

Mr Korbe, who runs Deluxe Car Care and D&J Variety Store on Main Street in Sharpsburg, was free on $25,000 bond and was scheduled for formal arraignment on those charges tomorrow. Late this afternoon, authorities were removing equipment from the variety store and loading it onto trucks.

Also arrested in the roundup today was Nadine Russo, who was shot by local boxer Paul Spadafora, the father of her child, in 2003.

Speaking to reporters outside the FBI's Pittsburgh office on the South Side, an obviously pained Agent Rodriguez said Agent Hicks was part of a team of FBI agents, DEA agents and local officers who were executing federal search warrants associated with a violent drug distribution ring operating throughout the Pittsburgh area.

"As the head of the FBI office in Pittsburgh, this is the most tragic information to relay to any spouse, child, parent or colleague," Agent Rodriguez read from a prepared statement. "Special Agent Hicks made the ultimate sacrifice that any law enforcement officer makes for his country.

"He served with honor and bravery and will be greatly missed by his colleagues here in Pittsburgh and throughout the FBI."

Flanked by other officials from the FBI, DEA and county police, Agent Rodriguez concluded his brief statement and took no questions.

[1861]

yeah , been watching this develop all day

[renegadephoenix]

it's a sad day. one of our fellow PAFOA Members (Falcon Four) was good friends with him and was also a Frat Brother with him as well. i just spoke with him and he's pretty down about the incident.

[tobyking8773]

Sad. Not just the loss of an agent but the fact that Mrs. Korbe wasn't cut down in a hail of bullets after firing at agents serving a warrant...

[Mabuz]

It is a shame. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends/family.

Now this lady's attorney is trying to use the angle of self defense saying that she just thought someone was breaking into her house and that she was defeding herself. I can't believe how some people make a living and can still sleep at night.


Edit: I guess the article points this defense out already, I first heard it on the radio on my way to work this morning.

[pacodelahoya]

What would you do if someone kicked in your door in the middle of the night?

And Yes, 6 am isn't the middle of the night, but it is pretty darn early. Answer honestly now.

[vetter3006]

My prayers go out to the family and friends.
As far as the excuse she thought someone broke in is plain BS. she was well aware of what was going on, people don't break in your house yelling FBI or police put your hands wear we can see them! She was part of the drug thing with her husband give me a break!

[arrrrgh15]

Lets see, if I had a criminal record stretching back 17 years and I was involved in an illegal activity, and FBI agents smashed my door in and yelled "FBI! We got a warrant for your arrest!" I'd probably try NOT to shoot them.

There's your honest answer.

Its a lame ass excuse by a worthless peice of shit for a human being. That's all it is. Self defence my ass. And is assholes like her that make things tough for legal gun owners like ourselves.

Hope the bitch rots in prison.

My condolences to the family and friends of the agent that was just doing his job.

[pacodelahoya]

I just googled "police impersonators home invasion". Got 24,900 hits. Don't tell me it doesn't happen. http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...+home+invasion


What kind of warrant was it?? No knock? Or one of those knock and announce and kick in the door warrants? You know, like where you have about ten seconds from being sound asleep to assesing the risk and reacting to a home invasion.

Maybe the way warrants are served has some play in this matter too.

[ithinkimamedic]

Well I'm glad to see this posted unfortunately it should be in the NEWS section, not the lounge... oh well.
Regardless of what may or may not have happened the fact of the matter is that a law enforcement officer in our state has passed while in the line of duty. This is a sad day for all law enforcement and emergency service personnel.

Frankly I don't care what you opinions of law enforcement officers or warrant services are. If you want to debate the merits of no knock vs knock and announce vs mickey mouse serving the warrant start a new thread. Don't F' this one up and turn it into another one of the many abortions of threads that have resulted here based on debates about law enforcement. Please out of the respect for the family. I have no dog in the battle other than being another emergency responder myself I'm just sick of seeing threads 86'd because they get hijacked.

R.I.P. Agent Hicks

Josh