'A Good Man': Father-to-Be Joined Co-Worker on Trip to Pa. Cabin, Then Was Shot Dead

Nine bullets ended the life of Peter Bernardo Spencer, a Jamaican immigrant

Peter Bernardo Spencer. Photo: GoFundMe

The family of a 29-year-old Black man who was killed last month by a former co-worker has called his death a "modern-day lynching."

The Pennsylvania State Police confirms that Peter Bernardo Spencer, a Jamaican immigrant living in Pittsburgh, was shot nine times on Dec. 12, 2021, while staying at a cabin in Rockland Township.

Some of the bullets struck his head, relatives alleged on a GoFundMe page that had raised money for his funeral.

Authorities say the man who shot Spencer is a 25-year-old white former co-worker of his.

According to the Spencer's relatives, who spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer, detectives told them the former co-worker acknowledged shooting Spencer, but said he'd done so in self-defense.

However, prominent pathologist Cyril Wecht, an adviser to the grieving family, believes many of the bullets entered Spencer's body from behind.

"My initial thought is that it's absurd to talk about self-defense with nine gunshot wounds," Wecht told the Inquirer.

No charges have been filed against the suspect. A statement from the Pennsylvania State Police "requests the public remain patient" as they continue to investigate Spencer's killing.

Spencer's family told the Inquirer he had been invited to the cabin by the man who shot him.

There were also two other men and a woman at the cabin. They, too, were white.

All four were questioned by police and released.

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"He was slaughtered and killed in what I consider an act of modern-day lynching," a woman claiming to be Spencer's sister wrote on GoFundMe.

There is also an active GoFundMe campaign for Spencer's pregnant fiancée, Carmela King.

Speaking to The Washington Post, King said Spencer was excited to be a dad.

"He was a good man and his life mattered," King said. "He deserved to be here to raise his child and to be the family man, the husband, and the hard-working man he desired to be."

According to the Inquirer, the alleged shooter disabled his social media accounts soon after Spencer's death.