Yahoo News Police Say Suspect in Philly Township Shooting Had ‘Ghost Gun’
The man who allegedly killed three people and sent his Pennsylvania town into lockdown has been charged with multiple offenses in New Jersey, where authorities say he stole a car before driving across state lines to shoot and murder his relatives.
Andre Gordon, 26, was charged by New Jersey authorities with first-degree carjacking and multiple counts related to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the criminal complaint, Gordon had an unregistered semi-automatic “ghost gun” rifle which had no serial number and an unknown make and model.
Charges in Pennsylvania, where the murders occurred, are still pending.
Three Killed in Philly Township Shooting, Suspect in Custody After Standoff
In a statement, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and state police said that Gordon allegedly carjacked a Nissan Altima from a parking lot in Trenton on Saturday morning, then drove to Levittown, Pennsylvania to commit three fatal shootings, killing his mother, his 13-year-old sister, and the mother of his children. He then allegedly stole a second vehicle, a Honda CRV with a “Namaste” bumper sticker, and drove back to New Jersey to hide out in a home.
His flight triggered a manhunt coordinated by authorities across the two states, who issued a shelter-in-place order for residents in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, and canceled the town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Authorities located the Honda CRV around 11:40 a.m. Saturday in New Jersey, according to Bucks County police reports and the New Jersey affidavit. Less than an hour later, Bucks County police learned that Gordon was barricaded inside a Trenton home with multiple hostages, all of whom emerged alive. Bucks County and New Jersey authorities declined to further comment on the hostages.
Gordon was apprehended around 5 p.m. Saturday after a standoff with responding officers. He was taken into custody on a street near the house he was hiding in, though it’s unclear if he was caught while trying to evade officers.
The New Jersey AG’s office said it was not clear whether Gordon had hired an attorney.
Manuel Gamiz, spokesman for the Bucks County district attorney’s office, said that Gordon will remain in custody in New Jersey “for some time” before he could be extradited back to Pennsylvania.
An arrest warrant shows that he will face a whopping 32 charges in Bucks County, beginning with multiple counts of first-degree murder and including charges for burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment of another person.
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