Pennsylvania police close in on suspect in state troopers' shooting
PUBLISHED : Monday, 22 September, 2014, 10:25pm
UPDATED : Monday, 22 September, 2014, 10:25pm
McClatchy-Tribune
Corporal Byron Dickson (right) was killed by Eric Frein (left) as he left the police barracks in Blooming Grove. Photos: AP
Police in the US state of Pennsylvania said they were closing in on Eric Frein, who is suspected of shooting two state troopers, one fatally, in an ambush outside a police barracks this month.
While searching for the marksman in a densely wooded area in and around Monroe County, authorities found several items he abandoned or hid for future use, including an AK-47-style rifle and ammunition, police lieutenant colonel George Bivens said on Sunday.
Frein, 31, described as a survivalist with an anti-government bias who may believe he is an eastern European soldier, is suspected of killing Corporal Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding Trooper Alex Douglass on September 12.
Bivens said that Frein had been planning the attack and his escape for months and that he kept moving, covering several kilometres a day, as teams searched for him.
"We are pushing him hard. He is no longer safe, and I am confident he will be apprehended," Bivens said.
Dogs and human trackers have indicated that police were on the right track, he said.
A "shelter in place" order issued for residents of Price and Barrett townships late on Friday was lifted after police searched those areas, he said, but residents should remain vigilant and report any sightings of Frein or possible hiding places.
Still, "there is no indication he is a danger to the schoolchildren or someone else in the public", Bivens said. "His fight is with law enforcement."
Frein was trained to shoot by his father, a US Army veteran, and has become so adept with long-arm weapons that he "doesn't miss", his father told police, according to a criminal complaint.
Bivens said on Sunday that Frein had had no known contact with his family since the September 12 shootings.
The FBI has placed Frein on its 10 most-wanted list and is offering a US$100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
