UPDATED: 2/8/24, 3:57 p.m.
EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Three adults and three children are feared dead in Wednesday’s East Lansdowne fire.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said six members of the Le family lived in the home and are still not accounted for. "We fear they were in the house and have been killed," said Stollsteimer, calling the operation a recovery, not a rescue.
Smoke lingered in the air in the neighborhood on Thursday. While hotspots in the house have made it difficult for investigators to get inside, Stollsteimer said they have discovered a human torso at the scene, as well as a rifle.
“At this point, the house is very unstable. There are still hotspots burning in the house. I’m telling our detectives, I’m telling everyone else, this is going to take a while,” he said.
Authorities have identified the two officers who were shot Wednesday afternoon before the house they were responding to burst into flames.
The DA's office identified the wounded officers as 54-year-old David Schiazza, a 22-year veteran of the Lansdowne Police Department, and 44-year-old John Meehan, a 22-year veteran of the East Lansdowne Police Department.
Schiazza, who was shot in the leg, was released from Penn Presbyterian Hospital Thursday afternoon. Meehan was shot in the arm and will need a lengthy surgery. Officials hope he will be released by Friday morning.
The two officers took gunfire from an unknown shooter while responding to a report that an 11-year-old girl was shot at the Le family residence on Lewis Avenue just before 4 p.m. Wednesday. County property records list Houng Le as the owner since 1990.
Amid the gunfire Wednesday afternoon, a fire erupted inside the home, tearing through all three floors and shooting through the roof. It took fire crews more than an hour to contain the blaze. Before the fire was contained, it spread to a neighboring house, causing minor damage to its roof.
Neighbor Kim Solomon lives opposite the Le residence. She says the event has shaken her and her kids to the core. “My kids were scared yesterday when they hear all the gunshots and everything. They were crying,” she said.
“I moved to this area for peace, for a better environment for my kids and I was just really surprised.”
Many unknowns remain: Who was the shooter? Are they among those feared dead? Was the 11-year-old girl shot? Who or what caused the fire, and who died in the blaze? An investigation is ongoing.