Parents of Anthony Allegrini Jr., the motorist shot and killed by a Pa. state trooper, filed suit over his death

The parents of Anthony Allegrini Jr., who was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania state trooper on I-95 last year, have filed a lawsuit alleging the trooper used excessive force and didn’t apply lifesaving measures, leaving the 18-year-old bleeding to death on the highway.

Allegrini was killed when authorities say he struck two troopers with his Audi S4 as they tried to disperse an illegal car meetup and one of them shot him.

After Allegrini was struck in the chest, neither the state trooper who fired the bullet nor other officers tried to help him, the suit said. Two of the three passengers in Allegrini’s car were taken into custody after the shooting and listened to him scream for help as they sat handcuffed on the side of the road, the suit said.

“Anthony Allegrini was murdered,” said Joseph Oxman, one of the family’s attorneys.

Myles Snyder, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police, declined to comment Friday, citing the ongoing investigation into the June 2023 shooting.

Jennifer and Anthony Allegrini Sr. have said they were devastated by their son’s death. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, seeks damages for the pain and suffering he endured and also compensation for his death.

The three passengers who were in the car with Allegrini that night — Giovanni Patete, Vincent Tribuiani, and William Soper — joined in the suit, saying they feared for their lives that night and suffered “significant emotional distress.”

Authorities have said the incident began when troopers responding to reports of illegal street racing saw Allegrini and three other people get into an Audi with an obscured license plate that was stopped on the shoulder of the road.

As officers tried to box the car in, Allegrini failed to yield and tried to drive away and hit the two troopers, authorities said. One of the troopers then fired a shot into the car, through the windshield, fatally striking Allegrini, state police said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Attorneys for the Allegrini family have disputed the state police account. In an interview Friday, Oxman called the state police description of the incident a “total lie.” Allegrini’s car was not moving when the state trooper got on top of the hood of the car and shot him at point-blank range, Oxman said.

Videos posted on social media in the aftermath of Allegrini’s death raised questions about the incident, appearing to show him physically struggling while lying on the highway after being shot. The videos also show a nearby trooper apparently pointing his gun toward a motorist filming the scene instead of rendering medical aid.

The lawsuit names as defendants the Pennsylvania State Police, the trooper who fired the fatal shot, and Philadelphia police officers who were at the scene that night.

The Philadelphia Police Department declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

Friends and family have described Allegrini, a 2022 Interboro High School graduate, as a dedicated hockey player who was passionate about cars, weightlifting, and fishing.

Last October, dozens of Allegrini’s family and friends rallied outside the Pennsylvania State Police Troop K Barracks near West Fairmount Park, calling for a thorough investigation into his death and decrying the lack of body-worn cameras for state troopers, who were not outfitted with such devices at the time of the shooting.

Despite state funding for bodycams for troopers, such cameras have not yet been rolled out in Philadelphia.