A man suspected of fatally shooting three family members in their Philadelphia-area homes Saturday was arrested in New Jersey after evading law enforcement for hours as police mobilized across two states, shutting down a parade and an amusement park and ordering some residents to stay in their homes. Steve Wilson, police director for the city of Trenton, New Jersey, said the man was arrested near a house where officers had believed he was barricaded inside. He apparently left the home before the police cordon was erected,
Wilson said. Wilson added that he did not believe the suspect was armed at the time. The suspect was identified earlier as 26-year-old Andre Gordon Jr. Authorities said they believe he killed his stepmother, his teenage sister and the mother of his children in shootings at two homes in eastern Pennsylvania’s Falls Township in the morning, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said. His children’s grandmother was injured when she was bludgeoned with a rifle.
Police sources described the shootings as domestic-related incidents. Falls Township police said the shootings happened at two separate locations in Levittown, on Edgewood Lane and Viewpoint Lane. SWAT teams were surrounding a home where 26-year-old Andre Gordon was believed to be hiding. It was not clear how many hostages were in the home.
A man barricaded himself in a home in Trenton, New Jersey, after killing three people in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning, according to local officials. The suspect, identified by police as 26-year-old Andre Gordon, allegedly killed three people at two different homes in Pennsylvania before carjacking a driver and heading for New Jersey. In Trenton, he barricaded himself in a home. The residents of the home have been safely evacuated, according to New Jersey police.
The Saturday morning shooting in Falls Township in eastern Pennsylvania forced the cancellation of a St. Patrick’s Day parade and shut down a children’s theme park. Authorities in Bucks County issued a shelter-in-place order for the area for several hours, but it was canceled by early afternoon.
Police said the suspect, a 26-year-old man who was currently homeless, knew the shooting victims.
Falls Township police said in a statement that the shootings occurred at two locations in the township. The suspect then carjacked a vehicle and drove to Trenton, New Jersey, where he barricaded himself in a home with hostages.
Middletown Township police said the suspect has ties to addresses in Bucks and Trenton and “stays in Trenton primarily.”
Shaun Murphy, who lives in the Falls Township community of Levittown, said he was headed to the parade when he saw that the road had been blocked.
“All the neighbors were outside wondering what was going on and then we got the notice about shelter in place,” Murphy said.
“I did see ambulances coming up the street earlier without their sirens on,” Murphy said. “My neighbors were just outside with me last night, and we were just saying how great of a town and how great of a neighborhood it is.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro said in social media posts that he has asked the Pennsylvania State Police to assist local law enforcement agencies.
Police said Oxford Valley Mall and Sesame Place had been told to close until further notice, and the area’s Target store and other businesses chose to close as well.
