'Suicide by cop' victim ID'd

"I got a knife. I want to kill myself. I'm dangerous." Police said that's what the caller told the dispatcher at the Delaware County 911 center.

When three Upper Darby Township police officers arrived at the apartment complex on South Bishop Avenue about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, they found David Zollo, 54, who has a history of severe mental problems, holding the weapon.

"Drop the knife, drop the knife," the officers yelled as Zollo came at them, police said. One officer fired a Taser, striking the six-foot, 250-pound man.

When Zollo charged at them again, Steven Taylor, a 13-year veteran, and Michael O'Connor, who has been on the force for four years, opened fire 12 times, killing Zollo. Officer Sean Kenny, Taylor's partner, did not fire his weapon, Michael J. Chitwood, the township police superintendent, said at a news conference.

"The shooting happened in seconds," he said. "There was not a lot of time to negotiate."

Zollo tried to commit "suicide by cop," Chitwood said. "This is a tragedy. Our condolences go out to the family."

Chitwood said that he met with Zollo's family Tuesday night and that they understood the officers' actions.

"They did what they had to to keep everyone safe," Shellie Siegel Hoyt Zollo, the victim's wife of 15 years, wrote in a Facebook posting. She added that her husband's mental issues were well-documented.

"He is finally free of all the demons that have been plaguing him," she said.

David Zollo, who had no criminal record, but was bipolar and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, had been hospitalized five times since 2004, said Chitwood. Police found numerous prescription drugs at the home, he said.

Chitwood said that officers had been called to Zollo's residence eight times in the past.

The officers in Tuesday night's incident were not injured. They will be debriefed and provided counseling. They have been given time to regroup, said Chitwood.

"They did what they had to do," he said.

mschaefer@phillynews.com

610-313-8111   @MariSchaefer