Four people were shot and killed early Sunday morning in Pennsylvania, and family members say it was because of a domestic dispute.
Family members of the victims told WXPI that the suspect was a man who used to date one of the victims he shot dead.
We're on the scene of a mass shooting in the small town of Melcroft, Fayette County. State Police confirm multiple people have been shot to death at a car wash. And the suspect may be one of them. A live report in minutes on Channel 11 Morning News. pic.twitter.com/JxrVhh3xVp
— Lori Houy (@WPXI_Lori) January 28, 2018
Five killed in overnight shooting at car wash southeast of Pittsburgh. https://t.co/HPm7Ow1ksP
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 28, 2018
William Porterfield, 27; Chelsie Cline, 25; Courtney Snyder, 23; and Seth Cline, 21, were named as the victims, WTAE reported.
Initially, it was reported Sunday that five people were killed, but the fifth person, who was named as the shooter, was hospitalized. However, according to officials, he likely won’t survive his injuries. The gunshot wound appeared to be self-inflicted, authorities said.
The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Timothy Smith.
Timothy Smith, 28, waited at a car wash wearing a ballistic vest and armed with an AR-15 rifle and ambushed his ex-girlfriend, killing her, her brother and two other people in Melcroft, Pennsylvania, just days after they broke up, police and family say: https://t.co/ZGcraRsyAc pic.twitter.com/qkNIAIXgRb
— Heavy.com (@HeavySan) January 28, 2018
Family of the victims tell Channel 11 the shooting of their 5 loved ones at a car wash early Sunday morning in Melcroft Pa, was the result of a domestic. One person is in the hospital. pic.twitter.com/gWCe8G4xRb
— Lori Houy (@WPXI_Lori) January 28, 2018
Five people dead after early-morning shooting at a car wash in rural Pennsylvania, police say https://t.co/kDvnnvjbqI
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 28, 2018
One woman at the scene survived the shooting, and officials said that she was able to duck down and evade the gunfire.
The shooting happened at 2:52 a.m. local time at a car wash at Indiana Creek Valley Road Melcroft, Pennsylvania, located about 50 miles from Pittsburgh.
“We’re not sure exactly what occurred,” Trooper Robert Broadwater was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. “Trying to investigate why this happened and how it happened.”
But a man who lives nearby said that he heard about 30 gunshots in the span of a few minutes, AP reported.
Officials told WTAE that Smith was armed with an assault rifle, a handgun, and another type of rifle. He was also wearing a “body armor carrier without the ballistic panels inserted,” said the report.
The sister of one of the victims said that she had broken up with Smith and he was jealous and heartbroken.
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