Court records reveal identity of man targeted, shot in East Vandergrift police raid

Court documents obtained this week by TribLive shed light on details of a police-involved shooting in East Vandergrift that state troopers have thus far declined to reveal.

Lyle Cessna, 52, of East Vandergrift was shot by law enforcement on Feb. 14 outside his McKinley Avenue residence. Cessna remains hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said.

About 7 a.m. that morning, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force surrounded Cessna’s second-floor apartment, above the town’s post office, to take him into custody on an incest charge.

Upon seeing the officers, Cessna left his apartment and went to his truck parked along McKinley Avenue, according to a search warrant issued after the raid.

When police ordered him to stop, he pulled out a gun, pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger, but the gun malfunctioned, according to the warrant.

Cessna then pointed the gun at authorities and was shot in response, the warrant states.

For almost two weeks, state police have refused to release details of the shooting or whom they shot, citing “regulations” about suspects.

Though the task force comprises U.S. Marshals and state police, the latter is leading the investigation.

Withholding information

Law enforcement has the right to not name suspects and often invokes it for the sake of public order, said John Rago, an associate professor of law at Duquesne University.

“They don’t want to cause needless fear, and they may have incomplete information,” Rago said.

In this case, Rago said he believes police might be attempting to protect the integrity of a wider investigation.

Exceptions to not naming suspects are often made, state police spokesperson Clifford Greenfield said, when the person is believed to be an imminent threat to public safety.

“In this situation, he’s in the hospital, he’s not a threat, and the investigation is still ongoing,” Greenfield said of the East Vandergrift shooting, still declining to identify Cessna.

Whether withholding an identity is fair to the public is debatable.

“The police have a longstanding and well-recognized responsibility to be transparent, especially with the use of deadly force,” said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.

Rago said authorities can’t leave the victim of an officer-involved shooting anonymous forever.

“Whether it’s good guy, bad buy, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “There has to be accountability for that.”

Investigating father and son

Tips from social media platforms last year were the catalyst that ultimately led to the shooting.

In January 2024, instant messaging app Discord reported to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone uploaded what appeared to be child pornography to its site, according to court documents.

Facebook made a similar report in April. In May, X (formerly Twitter) flagged a post alluding to child pornography, a criminal complaint states.

That X account contained multiple messages making it clear the user had child pornography to trade.

Through image tracing and cooperation from social media platforms, internet providers and other tech companies, police determined that Ty Cessna, 25, of Rayburn Township was behind the activity. He is Lyle Cessna’s son.

During a search of Ty Cessna’s home and electronic devices in December, hundreds of photos and videos depicting child sex acts or child nudity were found, police said.

Ty Cessna was charged with more than 600 counts related to child pornography. He also faces a second-degree felony charge of incest, the same charge as his father.

The incest charges stem from a video discovered by police during their investigation of Ty Cessna that they say shows him and his father engaging in a sex act with each other.

Ty Cessna waived all charges to court at a preliminary hearing Tuesday and is free on $50,000 bond.

Lyle Cessna was arraigned Thursday morning from his hospital bed. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 11.