01/03/1992
   INDIANA, Pa. (UPI) -- The Indiana County district attorney says
police had no option but to shoot a man who had wounded a state
trooper during a standoff.
   Thursday's incident resulted in the death of Robert Fortunato,
39, who was killed as he fired on police who had surrounded his home
in Indiana.
   "He resisted a lawful arrest with dangerous weapons," District
Attorney Michael Handler said. "He seriously injured a state police
officer in the line of duty... what else would any of you ask any
police officer to do?"
   Police were attempting to arrest Fortunato for allegedly making
threats to Handler.
   In a radio interview with Chauncey Ross, news director of
WDAD-AM, about an hour before his death, Fortunato denied
threatening Handler.
   "I never said I was going to do any terror to anybody. I just
used vulgar language in describing them," Fortunato said.
   Fortunato admitted calling Handler "buzzard breath" and writing
other insults.
   "I told him to bug off. It's null and void. You're trespassing on
my life," Fortunato said.
   During the six-hour standoff, State Trooper Kevin Kolson, 28, was
shot in the face. He remains in serious condition Saturday in
Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital. Another police officer was
treated for cuts from flying glass.
   Fortunato was arrested in August 1991, for shooting red paint
balls at the bronze statue of Jimmy Stewart, Indiana's most famous
native son, which sits in front of the county courthouse. He paid a
$100 fine. He was ordered to appear in court Dec. 14 on charges of
assaulting a police officer. He failed to show.

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