TRENTON, NJ – A Philadelphia man is in custody after being arrested in New Jersey for a disturbing crime. He is suspected of fatally shooting three family members on Saturday. Andre Gordon Jr., a 26-year-old man, allegedly invaded two homes in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County, causing some residents to shelter in place. Local festivities, including a parade and an amusement park, were also halted due to the police operation.
According to Trenton’s Police Director Steve Wilson, Gordon was located near a house suspected to be his hiding place. The man fled the scene prior to the establishment of a police cordon. Wilson also assured the public that Gordon was unarmed during the arrest.
A statement from Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn revealed that Gordon is believed to have taken the lives of his stepmother, teenage sister, and his children’s mother. He also violently assaulted his children’s grandmother with a rifle. It remains uncertain why Gordon targeted these individuals, and the police are yet to comment on a potential motive.
Despite Gordon having a few minor run-ins with the law in the past, Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney said no indicators pointed to such a violent outcome. The alleged perpetrator was also believed to be without a fixed abode, and it remains uncertain if Gordon has legal representation.
Authorities disclosed that Gordon, after absconding in a stolen vehicle and subsequently carjacking another, took refuge in a nearby house in Trenton. Later in the day, a police perimeter was formed around the house. The original occupants of the house were promptly evacuated without sustaining any injuries.
Based on reports, the police posit that Gordon initially broke into a home in the Falls Township community of Levittown, where he killed his stepmother, Karen Gordon, 52, and his teenage sister, Kera Gordon, 13. Another report suggests Gordon subsequently traveled to another house in Levittown, where he fatally shot Taylor Daniel, 25, his children’s mother. Daniel’s mother was the individual injured in the rifle attack.
Following the shootings, it is believed Gordon carjacked a vehicle from an unharmed 44-year-old man in a parking lot in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, before converging upon the house in Trenton.