On Sunday, December 11, 2022, at around 8:00 pm patrol officers from the Lancaster City Bureau of Police responded to a reported shooting in the area of the 300 block of E. Liberty St.
Arriving officers located an adult victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the area of N. Plum St. and Ice Ave. This victim was conveyed to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers also found an additional adult victim who had been shot on the 400 block of Ice Ave. a short distance away from the first victim. This second adult victim also sustained injuries that were non-life-threatening and was conveyed to a local hospital for treatment.
Officers received information from witnesses on scene that a suspect had fled the area on foot to the area of a foot alley between the 400 blocks of Ice Ave. and E. Ross St. Officers set up a perimeter to contain the suspect. The suspect was eventually found in that area, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The suspect was alive but in critical condition and was conveyed to a local hospital for treatment. The suspect expired from his injury and was pronounced deceased yesterday afternoon.
Both victims that the suspect targeted appeared to be random targets of opportunity. The victims had no prior connection to the suspect, or to each other. There were no reports that the suspect had entered any residence in the area of N. Plum St. and Ice Ave.
Yesterday morning, at around 8:30 am officers from the Bureau responded to a residence on the 900 block of N. Lime St. for a Check On The Welfare. Officers were able to gain access to the inside of the residence and discovered a deceased adult female victim. This victim also sustained an apparent gunshot wound.
Investigators learned that the deceased female victim from N. Lime St. had a connection to the now-deceased suspect from the shootings that occurred in the area of N. Plum St. and Ice Ave. The N. Lime St. death is being investigated as a homicide. There is no increased level of danger to the public at this time.
I would like to thank the officers who bravely responded to the shootings on Sunday evening. We are saddened by this senseless act of violence and by the death of his first victim. We are grateful that the remaining victims are likely to survive this attack. We wish them a speedy recovery.
I would also like to thank the residents for the assistance they provided Sunday evening, providing information that helped police take the suspect into custody.
This act comes on the heels of several other recent shootings and homicides. Gun violence has no place in our community and the Police bureau will continue to do all we can to ensure public safety.
Thank you for your time, we will continue to provide future updates on these incidents and others through our Crimewatch page.