DA: Lethal force justified in Elk County standoff that led to man’s death

ELK COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Over a month after a stand-off in Elk County that led to police shooting and killing a man, District Attorney Beau Grove announced that the force was justified.

On Aug. 6, at 3:43 p.m., the Johnsonburg Borough Police Department received two reports of gunshots in the area of the 700 block of Penn Street. It was reported that the shots came from the residence of Jacob Grebbien, 40.

Grove said that police knew that Grebbien was hearing impaired, based on past interactions. Police reached out to a family member of Grebbien’s, who relayed that he was fine and did not need police, who then left the residence.

Later that evening, police were called back to Grebbien’s residence on requests for a wellness check. The caller had told police that Grebbien had said he wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” according to Grove. When police arrived, they were unsuccessful in making contact with Grebbien.

At 6:20 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) also arrived at the scene and joined efforts led by Grebbien’s family to get him to exit the residence peacefully. Grebbien also allegedly sent messages to the family member indicating that he was in possession of a firearm, Grove said.

PSP gave instructions to Grebbien over text that asked him to exit the residence and raise his hands in the air for them to see. Troopers also posted a letter to his door with negotiations for a safe surrender. However, Grebbien refused to exit the residence.

The PSP SERT team then deployed a drone to monitor the scene, and police noted that Grebbien could be seen on the second floor holding what looked like a small barrel rifle and standing next to a gas can, according to Grove.

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At 7:51 a.m. on Aug. 7, the next day, SERT members began to discuss a “gas plan.” Troopers then sent a warning message to Grebbien over text, to which he responded with messages that indicated he would cause an explosion and was pouring more gasoline.

At 8:29 a.m., Grebbien exited his residence with the short-barrel rifle in hand. He then advanced toward PSP, where Troopers then utilized lethal force.

“It is my conclusion that the Troopers’ use of force to protect their lives and to stop the clear threat to the community on August 7, 2024 was justified under Pennsylvania law,” Grove said. “It is clear that the Troopers lives were in imminent danger. It is also clear that the general public was in imminent danger due to the continued threats being made by Jacob Grebbien.”

Grove added that his office will take no further action on the case at this time.

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