2 officers shot in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania; at least 6 unaccounted for after fire destroys home
EAST LANSDOWNE, Penn. -- At least six people are unaccounted for after a house was set on fire Wednesday afternoon during a shooting that injured two police officers in East Lansdowne, Delaware County.
District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said officers were responding to a report of an 11-year-old shot, but at this point, it's not clear if a child was actually shot.
As soon as officers arrived at the scene at about 3:45 p.m., a person started shooting at them, Stollsteimer said.
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Two officers were both shot once and the suspect retreated into the home. One was shot in the arm and the other in the leg, and they were in stable condition, said Margie McAboy, director of policy and public engagement for the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
Stollsteimer said a person inside the home started a fire about 15 minutes after officers arrived.
Authorities say the home is still smoldering at this point, and it's still too dangerous to go inside. Investigators believe there could be more than one person inside the home.
"We know the victim's family had a lot of people living in that house, including children. We are aware that there were at least six to eight people who were unaccounted for from that family," said Stollsteimer. "It is our terrible fear that they may be inside that house when it was burned. We are hopeful that that is not true."
Further information on the missing individuals is expected to be revealed on Thursday once investigators can get inside the charred residence.
Officers dragged to safety
Stollsteimer said officers with the Upper Darby Police Department were able to drag the officers to safety.
"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," said Stollsteimer.
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Chopper video showed one officer being carried away from the scene and being put in an ambulance. A SWAT vehicle was also seen breaking down a wall of the home.
"Everybody in Delaware County should be praying for these two officers who ran towards fire when everybody else can run away from it."D.A. Jack Stollsteimer
One of the injured officers is with the Lansdowne Police Department and the other is with the East Lansdowne Police Department. They have not been identified, but Stollsteimer said they have been with their departments for two decades.
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The entire block was evacuated, according to the district attorney. A man who lives nearby described the frightening scene.
"There was rapid gunfire. I was just sitting on the couch, then I heard, 'Pop! Pop! Pop!' (I) peaked out to see, then literally 10 seconds later cops were coming out from everywhere in every direction yelling, 'Active shooter! Close your door,'" he said.
"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,'" the neighbor said.
Another neighbor said SWAT team members helped him safely evacuate from his home.
Stollsteimer said a person inside the home started a fire about 15 minutes after officers arrived.
The blaze raged on for hours as crews worked to get it under control. Fire crews were initially kept away from the scene due to the gunfire.
Both police officers were alert and talking at Penn Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, officials said.
"Everybody in Delaware County should be praying for these two officers who ran towards fire when everybody else can run away from it," Stollsteimer said.
A massive plume of smoke from the burning home could be seen across the community. The smoke was so intense it was picked up on StormTracker 6 radar.
Further information on who was inside the home or the identity of the shooter remains under investigation.
"We don't know who was in the house, we don't know who the shooter was, we don't know how many people are in there, we don't know their status, we don't know if they're alive," Stollsteimer said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
