A suspect allegedly involved in the killing of three family members in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday was apprehended after barricading himself inside a residence in New Jersey, as reported by law enforcement officials.
Officials stated that 26-year-old Andre Gordon had barricaded himself within a home located on the 100 block of Phillips Avenue in Trenton.
Gordon was taken into custody just before 5:30 p.m. at a different location from where he had barricaded himself. Trenton police reported that he surrendered without incident.
Steve Wilson, the police director for the city of Trenton, mentioned that Gordon had purportedly managed to evade the perimeter around the barricaded home before it could be fully established.
“He was at that house at one point, but before we were able to establish a perimeter, he slipped out,” he explained.
“The suspect was actually walking on New York Avenue,” Wilson said. “He was stopped and identified and taken into custody.”
Wilson added that he did not believe the suspect was armed at the time of his capture. The police are currently conducting a search of both the home and the vehicle Gordon carjacked to locate the weapon used in Saturday’s shooting, as stated by the mayor.
“He was apprehended uninjured and without incident. He’ll go to the Trenton Police Department for processing here,” Wilson stated. “At some point, he will be extradited to Pennsylvania to answer for those charges over there, but he will be charged here as well.”
Investigators had previously reported that Gordon was holding hostages inside the Trenton home. Just before 4:30 p.m., Trenton police verified that all residents within the barricaded home and neighboring houses were safely evacuated from the area without any injuries.
During the operation, Action News witnessed law enforcement escorting 10 to 12 individuals from homes along Phillips Avenue. Among those evacuated were at least one toddler and an elderly woman, who was carried out on an officer’s shoulders.
“Some of them actually had to be taken out through an upstairs window and another family member, she’s elderly, she had to be taken out on a police officer’s back,” said one woman who asked to remain anonymous.
Gordon had barricaded himself a short distance away from the 100 block of Miller Street, where police discovered a carjacked Honda SUV believed to be driven by Gordon.
The incident initially started in Trenton early Saturday morning when Gordon allegedly carjacked a woman and stole her vehicle. He then used the stolen car to travel to Bucks County.
“The guy started banging on my car with the back of the gun and then I jumped over the seat and ran. I’m so glad I’m alive, cause he could have killed me,” recalled Sonia Hanson, the alleged carjacking victim.
Around 8:52 a.m., Falls Township police officers responded to a call at the unit block of Viewpoint Lane in Levittown regarding a reported shooting.
Police stated that this was where Gordon arrived in the stolen vehicle and proceeded to fatally shoot two individuals residing at the location.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn identified the victims as Gordon’s stepmother, 52-year-old Karen Gordon, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon.
Three other individuals, including another 13-year-old, were present inside the home at the time of the incident but managed to hide as Gordon searched for them, according to Schorn.
The Pennsbury School District subsequently issued a statement on Facebook confirming that one of the victims was an 8th-grade student from Boehm Middle School.
The district provided links to grief counseling services for affected families and students and announced that counselors would be available at school on Sunday and Monday.
Around 9:01 a.m., police responded to the unit block of Edgewood Lane in Levittown, where Gordon allegedly shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, with whom he shares two children.
Both children were present at home during the incident, as per investigators.
Subsequently, Gordon allegedly assaulted Daniel’s mother with his assault rifle before fleeing.
“There were four other individuals present inside that home, one of which was injured after being bludgeoned by Gordon with the assault rifle,” noted Schorn.
At 9:13 a.m., police reported that Gordon carjacked a 44-year-old driver at gunpoint in the parking lot of the Dollar General store on Bristol Pike in Morrisville.
The carjacked driver was unharmed.Chopper 6 captured aerial footage after the Honda was found on the 100 block of Miller Street in Trenton, New Jersey. Police vehicles were visible nearby.
Gordon is thought to be currently homeless and has connections to the Trenton area.Authorities stated that they were unable to provide a motive for the attacks at this time.
Although Gordon had prior minor encounters with the law, such as traffic violations, Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney mentioned at a news conference that they were “nothing that would indicate that anything like this would happen.”
Falls Township police issued a shelter-in-place order on Saturday morning, which was lifted after approximately three hours.
