3 dead, 2 wounded after shooting at Pennsylvania apartment and police chase
Three people were killed and two others wounded on Friday after a suspect opened fire in an apartment in central Pennsylvania, then led police on a 40-mile high-speed chase through two counties that ended with an exchange of gunfire with state troopers, police said.
Troopers shot and killed Ricky Shannon, 22, after he opened fire on them from his pickup truck, Lt. Col. George Bivens of Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference. Troopers then found a 19-year-old woman, who had also been fatally shot, he said.
Earlier, Shannon had gone to an apartment in Mount Joy, Lancaster County, and shot three of the woman's family members, killing one, before leaving with the 19-year-old, police said.
It wasn't immediately clear when the 19-year-old in the truck was shot, and by whom. Police said that is part of the investigation. Bivens said it's possible she was shot in the residence.
Shannon had taken out a protection-from-abuse order against the woman on Tuesday, and she, in turn, obtained a protection-from-abuse order against him on Thursday. Shannon was served with the order around 1 a.m. on Friday, then drove more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) from his home in Altoona to the house in Mount Joy.
Bivens said Shannon opened fire as soon as he got to the house.
"Clearly there was some kind of a domestic disagreement between both. The shooting occurred almost immediately upon his arrival there. So it appears that there was likely some thought given and the whole thing transpired very quickly once he arrived," Bivens said.
The initial emergency call came in at 4:15 a.m. Mount Joy police spotted Shannon's red pickup truck within minutes, and began a chase that lasted for more than 30 minutes and reached speeds of 100 mph, Bivens said. At times, the truck traveled the wrong way, and was involved in several crashes during the pursuit. The other motorists were not seriously hurt, according to Bivens.
Police eventually forced the truck to stop in Reed Township, Dauphin County, north of the state capital of Harrisburg. Shannon immediately opened fire, striking patrol cars.
"He left them really no option but to return fire," Bivens said.
Troopers did not know the 19-year-old was in the truck until they came to render aid to Shannon and found her, their vision hindered by darkness and the truck's tinted windows and deployed airbags, he said.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said investigators are reviewing dashboard and body camera video from the second shooting scene. He said he expected the investigation to take some time.