Tredyffrin Police Not To Blame For Man's Fatal Shooting After Officer Encounter: Officials

TREDYFFRIN, PA — Tredyffrin Police did not commit wrongdoing in their encounter with an armed, frantic man hours before he fatally shot a woman, according to local officials.

The suspect, Steve Jahn, is awaiting trial on murder charges for the slaying of Berwyn resident Megan Nieberle, — a CHOP nurse and mother of three. Authorities believe the attack was random.

Hours before the shooting on the night of March 9, Jahn called 911 thinking people were out to get him. An officer who spoke to Jahn described his behavior as "frantic," according to court documents. Jahn, who is homeless but has a car, showed police his guns and concealed carry permit.

The officer suggested he voluntarily commit himself for mental-health evaluation, but he'd need to surrender his guns. After initially refusing, Jahn agreed to do so if police followed him to the hospital.

They did. But when they arrived, Jahn said the cars in the parking lot had been chasing him earlier, so he refused treatment, an affidavit says. He was permitted to leave the scene.

Hours later, authorities say Jahn fired his weapon toward a vehicle driving on Contention Lane near Old State Road. The driver, later identified as Nieberle, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. She was 53.

Weeks after the shooting, residents at the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors questioned whether the incident was preventable.

Several locals also criticized officials for lacking communication as the incident unfolded. There were no public alerts until the morning after the shooting. Despite Jahn being in custody by then, it would take another day for authorities to announce an arrest.

Regarding the shooting's possible preventability, Tredyffrin officials pointed to Pennsylvania's lack of "red flag" laws, which allow authorities to prohibit a person from possessing guns if they're believed to pose a danger.

At Monday's meeting, a township resident asked whether police actions from their encounter with Jahn before the shooting were under review.

Police Chief T. Michael Beaty says there has not been an investigation, but the department will cooperate if one comes up.

"The outcome is horrendous, but I don’t think there’s any wrongdoing on our part," Beaty said of the shooting.

Efforts in Pennsylvania to pass red flag laws — often championed by Democrats and gun-control advocates — have fallen short. Last year, the State House of Representatives passed one such bill, largely along party lines. But it never got a vote in the Republican-controlled State Senate.

Additionally, state law prohibits municipalities and counties from enacting their own gun-control laws. So the best course of action is pushing for change at the state level, says Board of Supervisors Chair David Miller.

"Our police don’t have the tools they need to deal with what was a horrendous situation," Miller said. "Everybody here wishes this had gone differently. It’s horrific."

Click here for the meeting video.

Jahn was charged with murder of the first and third degrees, plus criminal homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and a weapons count. He remains jailed at Chester County Prison.

In June, District Judge Patricia A. Zaffarano ruled that prosecutors have sufficient evidence for Jahn to face all charges, should the case go to trial.

A pre-trial meeting is set for Aug. 5, five days before the case is scheduled to go to trial.

Jahn's attorney, Brian McCarthy, says his client's actions don't constitute first-degree murder.

"We're still trying to figure out everything that happened, but my client and I are adamant: this is not murder of the first degree," McCarthy told Patch last month. "So we are going to keep diligently defending this case and make sure the whole story is told."