A man suspected of murdering three family members in their Philadelphia-area homes on Saturday was arrested in New Jersey after avoiding law enforcement for hours, causing police to act in both states, shutting down a parade and an amusement park, and telling some residents to stay indoors.
Steve Wilson, police director for the city of Trenton, New Jersey, stated that the man was located near a house where he was thought to have barricaded himself and was then taken into custody. He managed to escape the perimeter around the home before it was established, according to Wilson.
Wilson added that he believed the suspect was not armed at the time and that no one else was hurt.
The suspect was previously identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon Jr. Authorities stated they believe he shot and killed his stepmother, his teenage sister, and the mother of his children in shootings that occurred in two homes in eastern Pennsylvania’s Falls Township in the morning, according to Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn.
Officials stated they were unable to determine a reason for the attacks. While Gordon had some minor run-ins with the law, they were “nothing that would suggest that anything like this would occur,” stated Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney at a news conference.
Police indicated that Gordon was believed to be homeless and it was not clear if he had a lawyer or someone else to speak on his behalf.
The chaos led to the cancellation of a St. Patrick’s Day parade and the closure of a Sesame Street-themed amusement park. Authorities in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County issued a shelter-in-place order for certain areas for several hours.
After fleeing in a stolen car and then carjacking another vehicle in a store parking lot, Gordon went to the nearby Trenton home, authorities stated. By midafternoon, officers surrounded the house on a taped-off block, calling to Gordon through a loudspeaker and attempting to persuade him to surrender.
“Andre, get away from the windows. If you would like to surrender, dial 911 now,” one message said.
Neighbors gathered by the barricade to watch the events. The residents of the home had been safely evacuated with no injuries, according to the Trenton Police Department.
Schorn said police believe Gordon initially broke into a home in the Falls Township community of Levittown and killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon. Three other occupants, including a 14-year-old, hid while the suspect searched for them, the district attorney said.
She stated that police believe Gordon then drove to another home in Levittown and shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children, who were present. The victim’s mother was struck with a rifle, Schorn said. Police stated that the injured woman is expected to recover.
Shaun Murphy, who resides in Levittown, mentioned that he was on his way to the local St. Patrick’s Day parade when he noticed that the road had been blocked.
“All the neighbors were outside wondering what was going on, and then we got the notice about shelter in place,” Murphy said, recalling that he and his neighbors had just been talking the night before about “how great of a town and how great of a neighborhood it is.”
According to Schorn, officers believe that after the shootings, Gordon stole a car in a parking lot in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, from a 44-year-old man who was unharmed. After that, officials said, Gordon drove to the home in Trenton.
Authorities in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, stated that the suspect has connections to locations in Bucks County and Trenton and primarily lives in Trenton.
