Still No Answers in 1987 Shooting Death of Ridgway Man Paul “Mickey” Buck
RIDGWAY, Pa. — It has been nearly 40 years since Paul “Mickey” Buck, a 36-year-old foreman at Motion Control Industries, was gunned down in the parking lot of his workplace and authorities still have no answers in the case.
On the night of Thursday, August 20, 1987, Buck had just completed his shift at the plant on Gillis Avenue in Ridgway Borough and was walking toward his car around 11:25 p.m. when he was shot twice. A security guard found him lying on the pavement and called for help. Buck was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:59 p.m. by Elk County Deputy Coroner Clark Pearson.
An autopsy performed by pathologist Dr. Dennis Sharkey confirmed that Buck died from multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen. While the caliber of the weapon was determined, police chose not to release that detail in an effort to aid their investigation.
At the time, Ridgway Borough Police Chief Burton Shaver led a large-scale investigation alongside the Pennsylvania State Police, local law enforcement from Johnsonburg and St. Marys, and forensic experts from Troop C in Punxsutawney. Bloodhounds from the Elk County Sheriff’s Department were also used in the early hours of the case.
Despite numerous interviews and public tips, the case quickly went cold. According to investigators, no eyewitnesses have ever come forward, and no arrests have been made.
Buck, known to many in the community as “Mickey,” lived on Oknefski Road in Ridgway. A standout athlete in his youth, he played football, basketball, and track for the Ridgway Elkers. Friends remember him for his quiet kindness and the familiar phrase, “A penny for your thoughts.” That same phrase is now etched on his gravestone at St. Leo’s Cemetery, where he was laid to rest.
In 2015, Ridgway Borough Police turned the case over to the Pennsylvania State Police Major Case Team, transferring all evidence and documentation. At a press conference that year, investigators said the key to solving the murder may still lie with someone in the community, perhaps a nearby resident, a fellow employee, or even a person who was picking up a loved one at shift change that night.
Authorities believe someone may have seen something between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. on the night of the shooting, even if they don’t realize its significance. They are again urging anyone with information to come forward.
Buck’s father died when he was a teenager. His mother passed away in 2017 never knowing who killed her son. It’s time for someone to come forward and help bring justice to this family.
Even after all these years, investigators believe that one tip could finally bring closure to this decades-old mystery.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest, courtesy of Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.
CONTACT:
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pennsylvania State Police in Ridgway at 814-776-6136, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-4-PA-TIPS or online at https://www.p3tips.comtipform.aspx?ID=107
All callers to PSP Tips could be eligible for a CASH REWARD for information that leads to an arrest, the solving of a crime/cold case or the location of a wanted person/fugitive or missing person.
SOURCES:
This case report is courtesy of the staff at PA Unsolved on Facebook (2025)
