A suspected active shooter allegedly caused chaos in a Pennsylvania town Wednesday as a house could be seen up in flames, officials said.
Officers from three different local departments responded to a call in East Lansdowne, Delaware County in Pennsylvania over claims that an 11-year-old had been shot, according to District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. Two police officers were reportedly injured during a shoot out with the suspect.
Following the officers’ arrival on the scene at around 3:45 p.m., a suspect had allegedly shot two officers, one from Lansdowne Police Department (LPD) and the other from East Lansdowne Police Department (ELPD), before retreating into a house, Stollsteimer said. Authorities from the Upper Darby Police Department immediately dragged the officers to safety. (RELATED: Gunman Allegedly Injures Four People At Walmart, Shoots Himself)
“It was because of the Upper Darby Police Department who also responded to that call that these officers are alive today. They were dragged out of danger by Upper Darby police officers,” Stollsteimer said.
The two unidentified injured officers were both in stable condition, with one shot in the arm and the other in the leg, said director of policy and public engagement for the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Margie McAboy, according to 6ABC.
Roughly 15 minutes after the shoot out, a fire had started from inside the home that the suspect had retreated into, Stollsteimer said. Video footage posted online showed a house up in flames as firefighters attempted to contain the incident.
🚨#BREAKING: Active Shooter situation Creates Chaos as 2 Police Officers and Child have been Shot while setting a House on fire ⁰⁰📌#EastLansdowne | #PA
Currently, multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to a chaotic scene involving an active shooter situation in… pic.twitter.com/xz8A2oBa6p
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 7, 2024
Authorities from multiple departments helped neighbors evacuate from nearby homes as the fire grew larger, according to 6ABC. (RELATED: FBI Misleads Americans About How Often Armed Citizens Stop Active Shooters, Gun Violence Expert Claims)
“I heard a lot of gunshots as I just came from the store and then I smelled the smoke about 10 minutes later. And I just seen cops come everywhere, running in their vests and everything,” said one resident. “I heard (them) yelling ‘active shooter, get in the house. Barricade, don’t come out,'” a neighbor told the outlet.
Nearly two hours after the initial start of the fire, firefighters were able to work on putting out hot spots, 6ABC reported.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the suspect was still in the house during the time of the fire or any updates on if the initial call regarding the unknown 11-year-old was true, according to 6ABC.
“We don’t know who the occupants are. We don’t know who the shooter was at this point. We don’t know how many people are in there or even if they’re still alive,” Stollsteimer stated.