Suspect in Pennsylvania suburb shootings is arrested in Trenton, police say

By Juliana Kim

Published March 16, 2024 at 11:45 AM EDT

Local law enforcement were able to evacuate all the hostages who were held by a 26-year-old suspect in Trenton, N.J., on Saturday afternoon.

Updated March 17, 2024 at 11:26 AM ET

Police have arrested a man suspected of killing three people in Falls Township, Pa., on Saturday.

Law enforcement officials say a 13-year-old girl was among those killed in the shootings that took place in two sections of Falls Township, a small Pennsylvania community located roughly seven miles outside of Trenton, N.J. One woman, who was allegedly beaten by the shooter, was sent to the hospital.

At a press conference on Saturday, Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney said the suspect, Andre Gordon, who is believed to be homeless, used an AR-15 style rifle, but it is unclear how he obtained the weapon.

The Trenton Police Department said Gordon surrendered peacefully in north Trenton, in a different location than a house that police had earlier surrounded.

New Jersey authorities charged Gordon, 26, on Sunday with multiple charges, including carjacking, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of an assault firearm.

Gordon will later be returned to Pennsylvania, where he is expected to face murder charges.

Amid the scramble to apprehend Gordon on Saturday, multiple law enforcement agencies had gathered outside a house in north Trenton. Authorities had said earlier that a man had barricaded himself inside.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said authorities now believe that the suspect left the home shortly after entering it and before police surrounded it, WHYY reported. The mayor said police arrested the suspect on the street a few blocks away.

The Trenton Police Department said earlier that all the residents inside the home were successfully evacuated with no injuries.

All the victims had familial ties to the suspect, officials say

Gordon broke into a house in Falls Township on Saturday morning and fatally shot his 52-year-old stepmother and 13-year-old sister, Jennifer Schorn, the district attorney for Bucks County, Pa., said at the press conference on Saturday.

Three others, who were inside house, were able to hide as Gordon searched for them, Schorn added.

The suspect then drove to another house in Falls Township, where he broke in and fatally shot a 25-year-old woman — with whom he has two children. Gordon also attacked another woman inside the house with his assault rifle, Schorn said. She is currently being treated at a local hospital.

Gordon later fled to a nearby Dollar General store, where he stole a man's car and traveled to Trenton, where he also has family ties, authorities said.

A resident is evacuated from a home in Trenton, N.J. on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, Falls Township Police issued a shelter-in-place order and advised residents to "lock all doors and move to a central and secure location away from windows." Authorities also asked travelers to avoid visiting the township for the time being. The shelter-in-place was lifted by afternoon.

Falls Township is located near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border near Trenton. It is also near Sesame Place, a Sesame Street-themed amusement park in Langhorne, Pa. Sesame Place announcedit was closed for the day.