Pittsburgh Cop-Killer Was Recent West Palm Resident

The national media is piecing together the biography of Richard Andrew Poplawski, the Pittsburgh man who shot three cops dead Saturday. The incident, of course, started with an argument between Poplawski and his mother over a dog that pissed in the house. Today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has what looks like the...

By Thomas Francis

April 6, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The national media is piecing together the biography of Richard Andrew Poplawski, the Pittsburgh man who shot three cops dead Saturday. The incident, of course, started with an argument between Poplawski and his mother over a dog that pissed in the house.

Today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has what looks like the most complete profile of Poplawski so far. It describes a turbulent relationship he had with his girlfriend, Melissa Gladish. In fall 2005, Poplawski attacked her only to propose marriage to her. After that apparent rejection, Poplawski left town, landing in West Palm Beach, where he worked as a window-fitter. It's not clear when he moved out of our region and back to Southwest Pennsylvania.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.