4 Shot Dead at Pennsylvania Car Wash, Shooter on Life-Support

4 Shot Dead at Pennsylvania Car Wash, Shooter on Life-Support
Police tape in a stock photo (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)
Jack Phillips
1/28/2018
Updated:
1/28/2018

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.
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.

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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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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