TRENTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A shooting suspect is in police custody, bringing to a close a series of events that began when officials say he killed members of his family Saturday morning in Bucks County.
Trenton police arrested 26-year-old suspect Andre Gordon hours after he barricaded himself inside a home on Phillips Avenue, taking occupants hostage. Unbeknownst to police, Gordon had slipped out of the house before law enforcement could set their perimeter. Efforts to communicate with him, as well as attempts to force him out with tear gas, were in vain, as he had escaped the house before then, according to police.
He was caught by officers while walking down New York Avenue. Police say he wasn't armed, and peacefully gave himself up. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said while it may not have been the route they expected, law enforcement got what they wanted, which was a peaceful resolution.
That resolution was a far cry from how the day began, when Bucks County authorities instructed residents of Falls Township and surrounding areas to stay indoors. Driving a vehicle stolen from a woman with her grandson, Gordon traveled to two locations in Levittown, where he killed three members of his family.
Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn says Gordon broke into his stepmother Karen Gordon's home on the unit block of Viewpoint Lane in Levittown just before 9 a.m. with an assault rifle. According to Schorn, he shot and killed the 52-year-old woman, along with his 13-year-old sister Kara. Gordon allegedly searched for three other people inside the house; they were able to hide and avoid being shot.
From there, Schorn says he forced his way into a home on Edgewood Lane, where he fatally shot 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children, and bludgeoned another woman with his weapon. Authorities say that woman was Daniel's mother. She was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries.
Shortly after both incidents, he stole a dark gray 2016 Honda CRV at gunpoint from a 44-year-old man in the parking lot of a Dollar General on Bristol Pike in Morrisville. The driver wasn't injured. The vehicle was later found in Trenton just after 11:30 a.m.
Authorities in Trenton said he barricaded himself into a house on Phillips Avenue, taking its occupants hostage. SWAT teams surrounded the house and subsequently freed four hostages from the home. Police attempted to establish contact with Gordon, asking him to call 911, then to get away from the windows before they fired gas canisters into the home — efforts rendered moot when the 26-year-old was discovered outside the home and apprehended shortly after 5 p.m.
Middletown Township police initially posted the news on Facebook just after 10 a.m., confirming the shootings, while Falls Township police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s office asked residents to remain inside, lock all doors and stay away from windows. Sesame Place, the Oxford Valley Mall, and several other area businesses were closed for the duration of the shelter-in-place order.
The search for Gordon also prompted Bucks County officials to cancel the St. Patrick's Day Parade, as announced on social media by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero.
Police ask anyone who sees Gordon or the vehicle to call 911 immediately.
KYW Newsradio's Hadas Kuznits, John McDevitt and Nigel Thompson contributed to this story.