Wilkinsburg officer Seth Taylor was served with an emergency protection from abuse order on Oct. 29 at the request of Kimberly Andrews, 23, of North Versailles.
An emergency protection from abuse order functions as a temporary restraining order against alleged perpetrators of domestic violence and can usually be obtained with minimal evidence. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15 to determine whether the order is extended.
Andrews has a history of incarceration and mental illness. She alleges that while living with Taylor in Wilkinsburg with her one-year-old son, Taylor searched through her phone and discovered that she had spoken with a reporter about an unrelated incident. She said he then grabbed a firearm and threatened her.
“Seth then pointed it at me, directly to my face and demanded that I apologize,” Andrews wrote in her statement. “He said the police wouldn’t believe me because he is an officer.”
The next day, on Oct. 31, a judge ordered Taylor to relinquish all firearms, weapons and ammunition in his possession. Taylor has at least two pistols and a Bushmaster XM-15 in his home.
Andrews says she met Taylor through a dating site while staying at a women’s shelter in Pittsburgh with her son. She said Taylor had offered her and her son to stay with him in his Wilkinsburg home.
Pittsburgh City Paper previously reported that Taylor struck a protester, who uses the alias Vuestra Merced, on April 16, 2022. Merced had intervened in an altercation between Taylor, another officer, and two protesters before being struck by Taylor.
The altercation took place during a protest demanding justice for Jim Rogers, a 56-year-old Black man who died after being tased eight times by Pittsburgh Police officers.
City Paper’s Jared Wickerham captured the incident, which quickly lit up the internet. Wilkinsburg police officials did not respond to CP inquiries made at the time.Merced and another protester were taken into police custody. Court records indicate they are still facing charges related to the incident.
The Wilkinsburg police department did not return multiple phone calls requesting comment, and Taylor declined to answer questions.
