Police questioned health club gunman George Sodini a week earlier about separate incident

BY Denise Chow DAILY NEWS WRITER
Monday, August 10th 2009, AP

George Sodini, who opened fire at a women's aerobics class in Pittsburgh, Pa., was questioned by police, but was let go because his involvement in a separate incident could not be confirmed.

Pittsburgh gunman seemed like a 'nice guy,' neighbor says

The gunman in the deadly Pittsburgh health club shooting was questioned a week earlier by police because he matched the description of a man seen pulling what seemed to be a grenade from his bag while on a public bus, authorities said Monday, according to The Associated Press.

George Sodini, 48, of Scott Township shot up a women’s aerobics class at the L.A. Fitness club in Collier Township last Tuesday, killing three people and wounding nine others before killing himself.

Earlier, on July 28, Sodini was questioned about the incident on the bus, but was let go by Port Authority of Allegheny County police because they could not confirm that he was the grenade suspect.

But County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said investigators who searched Sodini’s home after the health club shooting found writings that mentioned the bus incident, according to The AP.

A witness saw a man who matched Sodini’s description remove what looked like a grenade from a computer bag about 7 a.m. on July 28. The man then "toyed with" the grenade for a while. The witness did not report the incident to Port Authority police until later that afternoon.

Police began monitoring the bus route, and on July 30, a sergeant stopped, searched and questioned Sodini, who matched the description given by the witness.

Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said police let Sodini go because the witness who had initially reported the incident could not confirm that Sodini was the man she saw on the bus. Sodini also denied any involvement when questioned by police.

Port Authority officials alerted county police to the grenade incident when news broke of the health club shooting, Ritchie said.

Moffatt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he could not say whether police actually found a grenade at Sodini’s home in their search, but they did find writings about the incident. Moffatt did not elaborate.

According to hospital officials, two of those wounded in the shooting remain hospitalized Monday, one in fair condition and the other in serious condition.

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