Authorities have captured a suspect in the murder of three people who reportedly barricaded himself in a home in New Jersey.
Police in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have identified the 26-year-old suspect as Andre Gordon Jr.
He is accused of murdering his stepmother, teenage sister, and the mother of his children in shootings at two homes in Falls Township, in the east of the state.
The incidents, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, led to a shelter-in-place order being issued for several hours, resulting in the cancellation of a St Patrick’s Day parade and the closure of a children’s theme park.
Authorities are still examining a potential motive for the shootings.
The suspect is reported to have had previous encounters with the law.
However, Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney has been quoted as describing these as ‘nothing that would indicate that anything like this would happen.’
After the initial shootings, Gordon is said to have fled the scene in a stolen car, before allegedly stealing another from a nearby car park and eventually taking refuge with an unconfirmed number of hostages at a residence in Trenton, New Jersey.
Officers were observed surrounding the house, with the block taped off, using a megaphone to communicate with Gordon in an attempt to coax him out.
His alleged victims have been identified as his 52-year-old stepmother Karen Gordon, his 13-year-old sister Kera Gordon, and the 25-year-old mother of his two children, Taylor Daniel.
Gordon and Daniel’s children were reportedly present at the time of her death.
Daniel’s mother is also reported to have been assaulted with the butt of a rifle, though she is expected to recover from her injuries.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, stated in social media posts that state police had been summoned to aid local law enforcement agencies in securing Gordon’s arrest.
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