3 people killed in Philadelphia suburb identified, shooter in custody after standoff

FALLS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Three people were fatally shot in two separate locations in a northeastern Philadelphia suburb on Saturday, authorities said.

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Police in Falls Township issued a shelter-in-place order after “multiple people” were shot, WPVI-TV reported.

Gordon taken into custody

Update 6:15 p.m. EDT March 16: Andre Gordon, the man accused of killing three people in Pennsylvania before barricading himself in a Trenton, New Jersey, home, has been taken into custody.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told a CNN reporter at the scene that Gordon was arrested as he walked down a street near the home surrounded by police. He was reportedly unarmed when officers manning an outer perimeter spotted him and arrested him without further incident.

It was not immediately clear how he evaded the officers at the home or how long he had been out before he was captured.

-- Crystal Bonvillian, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Gordon believed to be only person in Trenton home

Update 3:17 p.m. EDT March 16: Andre Gordon is believed to be the only person inside a home that has been surrounded by law enforcement officials in Trenton, New Jersey.

“The only person believed to be in the residence is the suspect,” Trenton Police Detective Lt. Lisette Rios told CNN.

Rios earlier said the people inside the residence were safely removed.

Officials identify victims

Update 2:26 p.m. EDT March 16: During a news conference Saturday, officials in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, gave more information about the shooting in a northeastern Philadelphia suburb that claimed the lives of three people.

Andre Gordon drove to the first residence in a stolen car he carjacked from Trenton, New Jersey, earlier in the day, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said during a news conference.

She said Gordon “forcibly entered” a residence on Viewpoint Lane in Levittown and fatally shot his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon. Schorn said that Andre Gordon then shot his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon, WCAU-TV and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Three other family members were hiding in the first home as Andre Gordon looked for them, Schorn said, adding that one minor was in the home when the shooting occurred.

Schorn said that Gordon then drove to Edgewood Lane in Levittown where he forcibly entered a residence and fatally shot 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children, WTXF-TV reported.

Four other people were inside the second residence, and Falls Township police Chief Nelson Whitney said one person was injured after being struck by the assailant’s rifle, according to the television station.

Meanwhile, a hostage situation allegedly involving Andre Gordon continued in nearby Trenton, New Jersey. The residents inside the Trenton residence have been successfully evacuated, police said.

Gordon is believed to have “family ties” to that home, Schorn told reporters.

SWAT teams surround home in Trenton

Update 2:03 p.m. EDT March 16: SWAT teams surrounded a home in Trenton, New Jersey, where Andre Gordon, 26 was believed to be barricaded with hostages, WPVI-TV reported. It was unclear how many hostages were in the home.

News conference planned for 2 p.m.

Update 1:22 p.m. EDT March 16: Officials are planning to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT to give an update about the manhunt, according to WPVI-TV.

Lockdown lifted; suspect reported barricaded with hostages

Update 1:02 p.m. EDT March 16: The fire marshal in Falls Township said that the lockdown in the city had been lifted as of 12:30 p.m. EDT, The Trentonian reported.

CNN, quoting “local officials,” said that Andre Gordon, the man suspected of killing three people on Saturday, has barricaded himself with several hostages in Trenton, New Jersey.

Falls Township police said they “received information that Gordon is currently barricaded, with hostages, inside a residence” in Trenton, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gordon ‘extremely dangerous,’ police say

Update 12:41 p.m. EDT March 16: According to police, Andre Gordon, the man wanted in the triple shootings in a northeastern Philadelphia suburb, “is extremely dangerous and anyone who sees him or the vehicle is asked to contact 911 immediately,” NBC News reported.

Shooter identified by police

Update 12:06 p.m. EDT March 16: According to police, three people were killed in what was described as a domestic-related incident, KYW-TV reported.

Officials are seeking Andre Gordon, 26, after three people were shot and killed, beginning with an incident that happened at about 8:52 a.m. EDT on Saturday along the unit block of Viewpoint Lane, in Levittown.

Gordon is believed to be driving a 2016 dark gray Honda CRV, WCAU-TV reported.

Police said that Gordon fatally shot two people at a home and fled the area in a stolen vehicle, according to WTXF-TV. He then drove to another location and fatally shot a third person before leaving the area, the television station reported.

According to authorities, Gordon carjacked a 44-year-old man at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Morrisville at about 9:13 a.m. EDT, according to WPVI-TV. The driver was not injured.

Police said they believe that Gordon knew all of the victims, and that the vehicle he carjacked was discovered unoccupied in Trenton, New Jersey, KYW reported.

Original report: It was unknown whether the victims were targeted or if the shooting was a random incident, according to the television station.

The Middletown Township Police Department confirmed the shooting in a Facebook post but did not provide details.

“MTPD is monitoring our traffic and borders and it does not seem that the shooter has entered our township limits,” police said. “However, this is a fluid situation and we are asking the community to take some precautions. Do NOT travel to Falls Township until further notice. If you live in areas that border Falls, you should shelter in place until further notice.”

Police said that officials have instructed the Oxford Valley Mall and Sesame Place Philadelphia to close until further notice, WCAU-TV reported. A Target store in Langhorne also has closed due to the shooting, according to the television station.

The Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled after the shelter-in-place order was issued, WTXF-TV reported. Several area businesses also were temporarily closed, according to the television station.

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