Michael Platt

How they died

Deadly force

Michael Platt and Eric Gooden, both 28, were leaving the Club Millennium with three white women they had met that night. Gooden, who is black, had been driving slowly down 19th Street through a crowd when Jason Pfeil staggered into the path of Gooden's car and was nearly struck. Gooden said that as he drove away, his car was pursued by Pfeil and several others, one of whom tussled with Platt, who fired a bullet into bystander Patrick Moore's head, killing him. Off-duty Pittsburgh police officers Philip Mercurio and Stephen Matakovich, stopped Gooden's car. With their weapons drawn, the uniforms in plain view, they ordered Platt to drop the weapon. Matakovich testified that Platt looked him in the eye and opened fire before both officers returned more than a dozen shots, killing him.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Michael Platt, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources