Alleged Bucks County shooter apprehended by police in Trenton, N.J.
The man suspected of killing three people in Bucks County was arrested without incident by police in Trenton, N.J.
The man suspected of killing three people in Bucks County, Pa., Saturday morning has been apprehended near a Trenton, N.J., home.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said authorities believe the suspect, 26-year-old Andre Gordon, left the Phillips Street home shortly after he entered it earlier in the afternoon and before police were able to surround the building.
Det. Lt. Lisette Rios of the Trenton Police Department said the individuals inside the home were evacuated from a second floor window by the Trenton Fire Department, because everyone assumed Gordon was still somewhere inside the building. Police then fired tear gas into the home. It is not clear how many people were inside the home when Gordon entered the building or if he threatened them.
Gusciora said Gordon was later spotted by police walking down the street a few blocks away from the Phillips Street home, and was taken into custody without incident.
Police did not release details about how they tracked down the suspect, how long he had been wandering around.
Gordon is suspected of shooting two people on Viewpoint Lane in Levittown, Pa., with an AR-15 assault rifle just before 9 a.m. At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn identified the victims as Gordon’s 52 year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon.
According to a Facebook post from Pennsbury School District published Saturday evening, Kera Gordon was an eighth-grade student at Charles Boehm Middle School. The district said counselors would be on hand at Charles Boehm Middle School on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to offer support for students, families and staff members.
“There were three other individuals at the residence, including a minor, inside the home who were able to hide and avoid being shot by Gordon as he went through the house, searching for them,” Schorn said.
The survivors of the shooting were all Gordon’s family members, she said.
Gordon then drove to Edgewood Lane in Levittown and forcibly broke into a home where he shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, with whom he has two children, Schorn said.
There were four other people present inside that home, including the two children and Daniel’s mother, whom Gordon bludgeoned with the assault rifle, she said. The injured woman has been hospitalized. Her injuries are not considered life threatening, officials said.
At 9:13 am, Gordon carjacked a vehicle from the parking lot of the Dollar General on Bristol Pike in Morrisville, Pa. The car was later found on Miller Street in Trenton, N.J. Gordon then entered the Phillips Street home. Schorn did not discuss possible motives for the shootings but a source tells WHYY News that Gordon may have a history of “mental health issues.” Gordon, who is believed to be homeless, has ties to the Trenton area, authorities said. It is unclear how he got the weapons.
In response to the shootings, several law enforcement agencies, including the New Jersey State Police, Trenton Police, Pennsylvania State Police, local authorities in Pennsylvania and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office joined forces to track down the suspect.
Earlier this morning, Falls Township Police issued a shelter-in-place order, which they lifted by the afternoon. Police directed residents to keep all doors locked, stay away from windows and remain in a central location in their homes.
Stores in the Oxford Valley Mall and Sesame Place were told to close until further notice and a nearby Target store was also closed.
The Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled because of the active shooter alert.
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