March 17, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Andre Gordon, who allegedly shot and killed three people Saturday morning in Falls Township, was arrested in Trenton, police say.
A suspect who allegedly shot and killed three people Saturday morning in Falls Township has been captured in Trenton, authorities say. He now faces charges in New Jersey related to carjackings and weapon possession.
Andre Gordon, 26, was taken into custody in Trenton around 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Bucks County district attorney's office. Police initially believed that he was barricaded inside a home in Trenton. He was captured at a separate location, where he surrendered and was apprehended without incident, 6ABC reported. He is also accused of two carjackings.
RELATED: Police corner suspect of Falls Township fatal shootings in barricaded Trenton home
Gordon was believed to be barricaded inside a residence at the 100 block of Phillips Avenue in Trenton, according to police. Initial reports stated that Gordon had hostages within the barricaded home, but police said that all residents were safely evacuated from the house.
Gordon reportedly escaped the perimeter around the barricaded home before police could set it up, authorities say. He was walking on New York Avenue in Trenton when he was stopped, identified and taken into custody, 6ABC reported. He was found about two blocks from the home where police believed he was barricaded, CNN reported.
On Saturday around 8:40 a.m., Gordon allegedly carjacked a vehicle in the parking lot of Donnelly Homes in Trenton before driving to Falls Township and committing a series of shootings, New Jersey attorney general Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement.
Around 8:52 a.m. Saturday, Gordon reportedly shot and killed his 52-year-old stepmother Karen Gordon and his 13-year-old sister Kera Gordon in a home on Viewpoint Lane. Three other residents, including a minor, were in the home and hiding during the incident, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said in a news conference.
Around 9:01 a.m., Gordon then drove to Edgewood Lane and shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, with whom he has two children. Four other individuals were in the residence; one individual, Daniel's mother, was injured after being bludgeoned by Gordon with his AR-15-style assault rifle. She was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital for her injuries, authorities say.
Around 9:13 a.m., Gordon carjacked a second vehicle in a Dollar General parking lot on Bristol Pike in Morrisville, authorities say. Gordon stole the vehicle at gunpoint, police say. The 44-year-old driver of the vehicle was not harmed. The stolen grey 2016 Honda CRV was located on the 100 block of Miller Street, a short distance from the home Gordon was believed to be barricaded in.
Authorities say Gordon is believed to be experiencing homelessness and has ties in Bucks County and Trenton, and they believed him to have possession of an assault rifle used in the shootings along with additional weapons. When Gordon was arrested, police say he did not have any weapons.
Gordon was taken to the Trenton Police Department for processing, 6ABC reported. He is being lodged at the Mercer County Correction Center. According to Platkin, Gordon was charged by New Jersey authorities with first-degree carjacking, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm, third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm without a serial number, third-degree receiving stolen property, fourth-degree unlawful possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, and fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition.
Gordon will remain in custody in New Jersey before being extradited to Pennsylvania, authorities say. Gordon "will be charged in Bucks County at the appropriate time," according to the district attorney's office.
A shelter-in-place order was put into effect Saturday morning in Falls Township amid the active-shooter situation, and was lifted just before 12:30 p.m. The Bucks County St. Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for Saturday was canceled.
"On a day where our Lower Bucks community celebrates our proud Irish heritage, Andre shocked our region by selfishly and abhorrently taking the lives of 3 individuals who have been confirmed to be his very own family," Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa., 1st District) wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "As we continue to investigate what happened today, let us pray for the 3 Bucks County residents we lost today and pray for all of those impacted by this tragedy."
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