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Five dead in shooting at car wash in suburban Pennsylvania Four dead in shooting at Pennsylvania car wash linked to domestic violence
(about 2 hours later)
Three men, two women killed in Melcroft, south-east of Pittsburgh Two men and two women killed south-east of Pittsburgh
No further information released as police seek motive Gunman wore armor and had AR-15 rifle, handgun and another rifle
Lois Beckett and agenciesLois Beckett and agencies
Sun 28 Jan 2018 18.53 GMT Sun 28 Jan 2018 22.13 GMT
Last modified on Sun 28 Jan 2018 20.39 GMT First published on Sun 28 Jan 2018 18.53 GMT
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Five people were killed on Sunday in a shooting at a car wash in suburban Pennsylvania, the deadliest shooting in the US this year. One person was injured. Four people were killed early on Sunday morning at a car wash in Pennsylvania in the deadliest shooting in the US this year. One person was injured and the gunman was on life support with a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.
Police said they had not yet established a motive. But local news channels reported on Sunday afternoon that the shooting, in which three men and two women died, was linked to domestic violence. Officials said they had not yet established a motive. But local news channels reported that the shooting, in which two men and two women died, was linked to domestic violence.
The incident was the 21st and deadliest US high-casualty shooting since the turn of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The gunman, Timothy O’Brien Smith, 28, was wearing body armor and was armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, a 9mm handgun and a .308 rifle, Richard Bower, Fayette County district attorney, said at an afternoon press conference.
The sister of one of the women who was killed told WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh the gunman was her sister’s ex-boyfriend, who was upset she had broken up with him. The four victims were apparently shot and killed with both the AR-15-style rifle and the handgun, Bower said.
WPXI, another local station, reported that the gunman had dated one of the victims. WPXI also reported that two of the victims were brother and sister. Initial reports said five people were dead and one injured. Bower said four were dead and one, the gunman, was “not expected to survive”. It was not immediately determined if his head wound was self-inflicted.
US mass shootings frequently have a link to domestic violence. The four people killed were named as William Scott Porterfield, 27; Chelsie Lou Cline, 25; Seth Cline, 21; and Courtney Sue Snyder, 23.
The gunman who attacked a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in November, killing 26 people, had a criminal record of domestic abuse. The church shooting, in which his wife’s grandmother was among those killed, was a “domestic situation”, officials said. A woman in her early 20s survived by hiding in a truck and sustained only minor injuries from breaking glass, officials said. She was cooperating with the investigation.
In Plano, Texas in September, an estranged husband opened fire on a football-watching party at his wife’s home, killing his wife and seven other people before he was shot by police, officials said. The incident was the 21st and deadliest high-casualty shooting in the US since the turn of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
One analysis of mass shootings between 2009 and 2016 found that 54% were related to domestic or family violence, according to a 2017 report from Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group. Bower said a motive and the relationship between the gunman and the victims had not been established. But the sister of one of the women who was killed told WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh the gunman was her sister’s ex-boyfriend, who was upset she had broken up with him.
Another analysis, of 358 mass shootings across America in 2015 and using a lower numeric cutoff for what counted as a mass shooting, found that only about one in 10 of high-casualty shootings were related to domestic violence. Another local station, WPXI, reported that the gunman had dated one of the victims.
But domestic violence incidents were also much more likely to be fatal, that New York Times analysis found, with domestic violence cases representing 11% of total incidents but 31% of victims who died. A state trooper said two victims were found inside a pickup truck and two others were found in the parking lot.
Three vehicles were towed from the location. Two were pickup trucks – including the one two of the victims were found in. The other was a sedan.
Mass shootings in the US frequently have a link to domestic violence. The gunman who attacked a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in November, killing 26 people, had a criminal record of domestic abuse. The shooting, in which his wife’s grandmother was among those killed, was a “domestic situation”, officials said.
In Plano, Texas in September, an estranged husband opened fire on a football-watching party at his wife’s home, killing his wife and seven others before he was shot by police, officials said.
According to a 2017 report from Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group, an analysis of mass shootings between 2009 and 2016 found that 54% were related to domestic or family violence.
A New York Times analysis of 358 mass shootings across America in 2015, using a lower numeric cutoff for what counted as a mass shooting, found that only about one in 10 of high-casualty shootings were related to domestic violence.
But domestic violence incidents were also much more likely to be fatal, that analysis found, with domestic violence cases representing 11% of total incidents but 31% of victims who died.
The victims and perpetrators in these shootings were overwhelmingly white.The victims and perpetrators in these shootings were overwhelmingly white.
The shooting at Ed’s Car Wash occurred shortly before 3am in the Melcroft community of Saltlick Township, about 55 miles south-east of Pittsburgh.The shooting at Ed’s Car Wash occurred shortly before 3am in the Melcroft community of Saltlick Township, about 55 miles south-east of Pittsburgh.
Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where Melcroft is located, has a population that is 93% white. In 2016, 64% of voters there supported Donald Trump, who campaigned on fierce opposition to gun control laws. Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where Melcroft is located, is 93% white. In 2016, 64% of voters there supported Donald Trump, who campaigned on fierce opposition to gun control laws.
Names and further information of the victims were not immediately disclosed. Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene while another died at a hospital, according to a state trooper.
The trooper said two victims were found inside a pickup truck and two others were found in the parking lot.
An injured person was taken to a hospital but it was not clear if that person was shot, state police said. Further information about that person was not released. Authorities were trying to determine if the shooter was among those found.
Three vehicles were towed from the location. Two were pickup trucks – including the one that two of the victims were found in. The other was a sedan.
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
US crimeUS crime
Gun crimeGun crime
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