Thomas Patrick Farrell, an officer with the Pittsburgh Police Department, was shot and killed on March 2, 1918, while attempting to make an arrest on the North Side. Farrell was struck by bullets from two different guns. There were no witnesses to the killing.
Numerous Italian immigrants were arrested in connection with the case. Three men allegedly tied to the Black Hand – Dominick Acqua, Alphonse Polifrone, and Francisco Zavaglio – were charged with murder in May 1918. The suspects were known to frequent the area of the shooting.
Polifrone was acquitted at trial in February 1919 due to an absence of evidence. No other trials were held.
State Killings in the Steel City: The History of the Death Penalty in Pittsburgh 