Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, that an Allentown police officer was justified in shooting a woman who confronted first responders in the lobby of the former Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital. The woman survived the single shot, and Holihan said no criminal charges will be filed against the officer. The ruling closes the county's criminal inquiry into the Jan. 11 incident.
According to Holihan's memo, a security guard let the woman into the lobby after a hard knock at about 5:50 p.m., and she asked staff to call for medical help. As medics began to assist her, one shouted, "she has a knife." The memo says the officer gave repeated commands for her to drop the weapon and, after the woman refused, advanced and appeared to point another device at him, the officer fired one round that struck her. NBC10 Philadelphia reported the account.
"This investigation found that the officer's use of force was justified," Holihan wrote, concluding that the woman "posed an imminent risk of harm" to the officer, two EMS medics and a security guard. His report notes that the yellow and black object the woman raised looked like a gun or a Taser in the moment, but was later identified as a digital infrared non-contact thermometer. NBC10 Philadelphia detailed the findings.
What the law says
Under Pennsylvania law, a peace officer "is justified in using deadly force only when he believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury" while making an arrest or protecting others. That standard, spelled out in Title 18, a7 508, is the criminal test Holihan said he applied after reviewing body-worn camera footage and other evidence. Title 18, a7 508.
What comes next
The DA's decision ends the county's criminal review, but it does not shut the door on internal administrative reviews or any private civil claims the woman might pursue. In the wake of officer-involved shootings, local residents and advocacy groups often push for release of body-cam footage or additional detail, and whether Allentown police or the DA will make more material public in this case remains an open question.
