Justin McIntire was born and raised in Brackenridge, a small, quiet Borough on the banks of the Allegheny River, North of Pittsburgh. He wanted to serve his community, so he joined the police department, rising to become Chief over a 20+ year career.

The afternoon of January 2, 2023, regional law enforcement were mobilized en-masse for a fugitive manhunt, and Chief McIntire was searching for the suspect on foot. Then he was ambushed. He was killed mere feet from the house he grew up in, where his mother, Lori, was taking shelter amid news of an active shooter in the area.

Later that day, the suspect was killed in a shootout with police, where he was firing a gun that was modified with a “switch” – a device that converts handguns into homemade machine guns capable of firing up to 1,200 rounds per minute with a single pull of the trigger. “Switches” are not illegal under Pennsylvania law. This means that the Allegheny County District Attorney could not prosecute the possession of this deadly device. Now, Chief McIntire’s mother, brother, and sister are hoping that something good can come from Justin’s death: a law to save others down the line.

This is the McIntire family’s story.