A suspected gunman in a series of deadly shootings in Pennsylvania barricaded himself inside a home in neighbouring New Jersey on Saturday, police said.
US police said the suspect shot three people dead in Falls Township on Saturday before fleeing across state lines to the home in nearby Trenton.
Residents were home when the suspect entered the house but they have since been safely evacuated, police added.
The suspect is believed to be a 26-year-old who was known to the victims.
He was named as Andre Gordon Jr by authorities.
According to Philadelphia’s Middletown Township Police, the suspect is thought to be homeless, but primarily stays in the Trenton area.
People related to the suspect were among the victims in Falls Township, including a child, Philadelphia’s Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn told a news conference.
The Bucks County DA’s Office said that following the shootings, Gordon carjacked an individual at a dollar store before making his way to the home in Trenton, where he has barricaded himself.
Dramatic images captured the police response to the siege in Trenton, and appeared to show hostages climbing out a first floor window before being cared for by police.
The weapon used by the suspect is believed to be an AR-15-style assault rifle, officials told a news conference in Falls Township.
Police lifted a stay-at-home order for Falls Township after several hours following the first reports of a shooting.
Falls Township officers were first dispatched to a residence on Viewpoint Lane at approximately 8:52 a.m., where two people had been fatally shot, police said. The victims were the suspect’s 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon, according to Schorn.
Three other family members in the house, including a minor, managed to hide and “avoid being shot by Gordon as he went through the house searching for them,” Schorn told reporters during a press briefing on Saturday.
A 25-year-old woman was then shot and killed at a residence on Edgewood Lane at approximately 9:01 a.m., police said. The victim, Taylor Daniel, shared two children with the suspect, Schorn said.
Four other people were present in the home at the time, including the two children and Daniel’s mother, Schorn said. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries after Gordon allegedly bludgeoned her with the assault rifle, Schorn said.
Gordon is accused of then stealing a 2016 dark gray Honda CRV at gunpoint to flee back to Trenton. The carjacking occurred at approximately 9:13 a.m. in the parking lot of a Dollar General in Morrisville, police said. The operator of the vehicle was unharmed.
By Agencies