In Pennsylvania, a 44-year-old man has been incarcerated following a senseless shooting that claimed the life of a nurse on a Tredyffrin Township street on Saturday evening.
Just two hours prior to the tragic incident, police had encountered Steve Jahn, who was reportedly armed and exhibiting paranoid behavior. Jahn later fatally shot Megan Nieberle, a nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, WPVI reported.
Court records reveal that Jahn visited a PNC bank in Paoli around 8:30 p.m. and dialed 911, alleging that he was being pursued by several individuals, including undercover officers, as detailed by WCAU. During the call, Jahn disclosed he was carrying a loaded 9mm handgun.
Upon responding, Tredyffrin Township police discovered Jahn in his vehicle with his hands raised, persistently insisting he was being followed. An officer suggested that Jahn could voluntarily commit himself for a mental health assessment, provided he relinquished his firearm.
Although Jahn held a concealed carry permit, he was unwilling to hand over his weapon. However, he consented to visit the hospital if accompanied by police, who agreed and escorted him to Paoli Hospital. Once there, Jahn refused to enter, convinced that the vehicles in the parking lot belonged to the individuals allegedly pursuing him.
At that moment, authorities allowed him to leave, concluding that he did not meet the criteria for involuntary commitment, as he posed no imminent risk to himself or others, despite his mental distress and possession of a loaded firearm.
The criminal complaint says that Jahn drove through Berwyn and Tredyffrin Township after police let him leave the hospital. At one point, the documents say, he interacted with a man and his son in a driveway.
About two hours after he called police and said he was being followed by undercover police officers and others, he shot Nieberle as she drove down Contention Lane in Tredyffrin Township. Neighbors found her slumped over the wheel of her SUV. She was taken to Paoli Hospital, the same hospital a paranoid and armed Jahn had refused to enter, and died a day later.
After killing Nieberle, Jahn drove to a relative’s home in Berwyn, and that family member called 911, saying he brought weapons and a dashcam into their home. Police found his vehicle somewhere, and then came to the home and took Jahn into custody. They seized the two weapons and the dashcam, which contained video showing him driving around with a gun in his lap on Saturday.
KYW said surveillance cameras and license plate readers put Jahn in the area of the shooting Saturday night. The dashcam footage showed him ripping the dashcam from his truck minutes before police arrived at the shooting scene. He is heard saying “I ain’t playing no more” while driving around with the gun on his lap.
Sirens are heard in his video, and he’s seen putting a gun in the glove compartment.
Jahn has been charged with criminal homicide, first degree murder, third degree murder, and possession of an instrument of a crime with intent. Police believe the fatal shooting was just random as Jahn and Nieberle had no connections.
