TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) – Police say a gunman barricaded himself in a home in Trenton, New Jersey, after shooting and killing at least three relatives at two separate homes near Levittown, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning. Announced.
SWAT teams surrounded a home on Phillips Street in Trenton, and 26-year-old Andre Gordon was believed to be inside with a hostage. It is not clear how many hostages were in the house.
Trenton police said all residents inside the attached home where Gordon was barricaded were safely evacuated. The SWAT team is urging the Falls Township murder suspect to come out of his Phillips Street home and surrender.
Law enforcement tracked Gordon to this address in Trenton after multiple shootings and carjackings occurred in Trenton and Bucks counties Saturday morning.
The incident put multiple communities in Bucks County on high alert, leading to shelter-in-place orders, the closure of several local businesses, and the cancellation of the Falls Township St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Andre Gordon is accused of murdering his stepmother, partner, and another relative in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
The violence began just before 9 a.m. at a home on Viewpoint Lane in Levittown. Falls County police and Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Shawn said Gordon arrived at his home in a carjacked car from Trenton, armed with an AR-style rifle and possibly another firearm. He then entered the residence and shot and killed his 52-year-old stepmother and a 13-year-old female relative, Sean said.
Three other people were in the home during the shooting. Sean said they were able to hide from Gordon and avoid being shot as he searched the house.
About 10 minutes later, Gordon drove to another home on Edgewood Lane in Levittown, where he re-entered the home, Sean said. There he shot and killed a 25-year-old woman with two children, it added.
The two children, the victim's mother and another relative were inside the Edgewood Lane home. Shawn said Gordon hit one of them with a rifle. The person is expected to survive the injury. No one else in the home was physically injured.
Sean said Gordon fled the scene after the shooting.
About 10 minutes later, police believe Gordon committed a second carjacking at the Dollar General on Bristol Pike in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and fled in a Honda CRV.
The Honda was later found near the Trenton home where the hostage situation was taking place.
Police were seen leading people through second-floor windows in the block, but it was unclear whether the people were hostages or neighbors.
Falls County Police Chief Nelson Whitney said Gordon was armed with an AR-15-style rifle at the time of the shooting and may have other weapons.
Authorities are still investigating how Gordon obtained the rifle. Further details regarding the first carjacking in Trenton have not yet been released.
Middletown County Police said Gordon is homeless but has ties to Trenton and Bucks counties.
A shooting and investigation prompted a shelter-in-place in Falls Township, Pennsylvania.
After Saturday morning's shooting, Falls Township residents received an emergency notice asking them to shelter in place. Push notifications told residents to stay inside their homes and away from windows.
The Falls Township St. Patrick's Day Parade was beginning as police began searching for Gordon. Whitney said Falls Township police officers began walking up and down the parade route warning the crowd to leave the area and go home.
The shelter in place lasted about three hours before being lifted, by which time the investigation had moved across the Delaware River to Trenton.
The Honda stolen from the Morrisville Dollar General was later found in Trenton, near the home where the standoff had occurred.
Sesame Place, Langhorne and Middletown Township businesses closed following shelter-in-place order
Middletown County Police said Sesame Place amusement park and Oxford Valley Mall were ordered to close Saturday morning. The Target store in Middletown and several other businesses have also chosen to close, the department said.
The department said Sesame Place chose to remain closed for the day even after the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero notified voters on Facebook about the parade's cancellation.
The Pennsbury School District announced that all activities within the district are postponed. Students who were participating in the activity were taken inside the building.
Makefield Elementary School plays will continue as scheduled unless otherwise noted, Superintendent Thomas Smith wrote on the district's website.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had ordered the Pennsylvania State Police to assist local law enforcement with the investigation and reiterated the call for people to shelter in place.
Langhorne Police Department said. They did not believe the gunman had entered the borough. “Please do not travel to Falls Township until further notice,” the department said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.