Suspect sought in 5 shooting deaths near Philadelphia

Suspect sought in 5 shooting deaths near Philadelphia

Published December 15, 2014 FoxNews.com

http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncsta....jpg?ve=1&tl=1Dec. 15: Police move near the scene of a shooting in Souderton, Pa. (AP)

DEVELOPING: Police are surrounding a home outside Philadelphia where a suspect is believed to have barricaded himself after shootings at multiple homes.

Police told WPVI-TV the man is suspected of killing a five people Monday morning at three different homes northwest of Philadelphia.

The television station reports the man is holed up in a Souderton home where police say two people were killed. Police say the man is also suspected of killing a woman in Harleysville and two people in Lansdale. The first shooting was reported at 4:25 a.m. Monday.

Officials are referring questions to the Montgomery County district attorney's office.

The Souderton Area School District, citing police activity in Souderton and Harleysville, has ordered students and teachers to shelter in place until further notice.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/15...-pennsylvania/

DA says Pennsylvania man killed ex-wife and 5 in-laws

By Ralph Ellis, Susan Candiotti and Ashley Fantz, CNN
updated 6:11 PM EST, Mon December 15, 2014
Source: CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Suspect identified as Bradley William Stone, 35, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania
NEW: Authorities say all six victims have "familial relationship" to suspect
NEW: The killings happened in Montgomery County, outside Philadelphia
NEW: Stone had served in the Marine reserves and may be wearing fatigues, authorities said

(CNN) -- [Breaking news update, posted at 608 p.m.]
Bradley William Stone is a suspect in the death of his ex-wife; former mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law; and sister-in-law and her husband and 14-year-old daughter, said the district attorney in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, at a Monday night press conference.

[Breaking news update, posted at 5:41 p.m.]
Police launched an intense manhunt in a Philadelphia suburb Monday after six people were found dead and one person seriously wounded at three locations, authorities said.

Bradley William Stone, 35, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, has a "familial relationship" with all the victims, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...story-body.jpgCops barricade homes in gunman search
The district attorney's office said Stone has used a cane or walker in the past and may be wearing military fatigues, in either sand or green color.

He was described as armed and dangerous.

Late Monday afternoon and early Monday night, the police search focused on Pennsburg, according to CNN affiliate WPVI.

WPVI reported the killing started about 4 a.m. when a woman was shot to death in an apartment in Lower Salford Township.

About half an hour later police were called to Lansdale, where two people were killed, and then to a home in Souderton, where the other victims were found, WPVI reported.

WPVI said police originally thought Stone was holed up inside the house, so officers surrounded the residence.

Heavily armed SWAT teams tossed flash-bang devices into the house and stormed the residence, police said Stone was not inside.

Stone served as a reservist the U.S. Marines until 2011, mainly as a meteorologist, according to the Marines. He served a few months in Iraq in 2008.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/15/us/pen...nia-shootings/

BODY BELIEVED TO BE OF ALLEGED PA. KILLER OF 6 BRADLEY STONE FOUND NEAR HIS HOME

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David Henry reports from Pennsburg where a huge police presence continues.

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Updated 17 mins ago
PENNSBURG, Pa. --

Action News has learned that police have found a body amid the search for Bradley Stone, the suspect in the Montgomery County murder spree that left six people dead and one seriously wounded, and the body has been preliminarily ID'd as Stone.

The body was found in a wooded area about 200 yards from Stone's home in Pennsburg, Pa. on Tuesday afternoon.

Sources say Stone is believed to have killed himself. He was found dead on his knees hunched over wearing sand color camouflage.

Sources said it does not appear that he shot himself, but his cause of death is not yet known.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE - REFRESH THIS PAGE FOR UPDATES

PREVIOUS STORY BELOW

Sources are telling Action News they believe Bradley Stone, the suspect at large after a killing spree that left six people dead across Montgomery County, may have killed himself.

Sources add they are "more likely to find a body than not."

However, those sources say, they cannot take any chances so they are approaching the search as if Stone is alive, armed and dangerous.

Action News was there as a large police force assembled in Pennsburg, Pa., Stone's hometown, as the search continued Tuesday. The officers fanned out into town for a thorough search.

The Pennsburg Emergency Management Agency said police will not be entering homes or businesses, but may enter any unsecured buildings or garages.

Pennsburg EMA also said there may be rolling road closures amid the search.

If he is not found in Pennsburg, police will begin a search of wooded areas around the Green Lane reservoir. The thinking is Stone could either be holed up there or went there to take his own life.

Officers were also out in force in Pennsburg on Monday, calling for him over a loudspeaker and using flash-bang devices.

The Upper Perkiomen School District is closed Tuesday due to an ongoing search in Pennsburg.

A police officer runs a line near a home, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, in Pennsburg, Pa. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Meanwhile, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said during a news conference on Tuesday that a search for Stone in Doylestown, Bucks County, has ended.

This, after a source told Action News that resources were "wasted" after police swarmed Doylestown on Monday night after a man reported a carjacking attempt and gave a description that matched Bradley Stone.

The source tells Action News that "a lot of resources were wasted for an alleged carjacking in Doylestown that may not have happened." Police are seeking more information and witnesses.

It was at 7:09 p.m. when a man, claiming to be the victim of the carjacking attempt, told police he was approached by a man armed with a knife, wearing camouflage fatigues.

Authorities had earlier said Stone may be wearing fatigues.

The alleged victim said the man in camo demanded his car keys. Police say the alleged victim, who was legally carrying a gun, opened fire as the suspect ran away.

Police responded in force and put the complex on lockdown. No one was found.

The report led to a limited lockdown Tuesday for the Pennridge School District.

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The manhunt for Stone began Monday morning after authorities began following a trail of death that eventually led them to six bodies and a critically wounded teenager in three different locations in Montgomery County.

All six victims have a familial relationship with Stone.

Among the victims was 33-year-old Nicole Hill, Stone's ex-wife. She was shot inside the Pheasant Run Apartments in the 100 block of Main Street in Lower Salford Twp.

A neighbor there, who did not want to be identified, told Action News, "I heard 3 or 4 gunshots. I heard the kids yelling, saying 'Mommy no! mommy no!'" He kept saying, 'We gotta go, we gotta go."

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The neighbor continued, "I asked him if everything was okay, and I saw the kids and the kids' father exiting the house, and they didn't have any coats on or anything. They just had their pajamas on."

"He was like, 'She's hurt pretty bad. We gotta leave,'" the neighbor continued.

Stone then took their two daughters from the home, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said, and dropped them off at a neighbor's house in Pennsburg shortly after 5:00 a.m. That was the last confirmed sighting of Stone, Ferman said.

Stone's daughters are safe.

Action News has learned Nicole Hill got engaged over the summer. Her fiance is with police because they are concerned for his safety.

Several hours later, Hill's sister, Patricia Flick, along with her husband, Aaron Flick, and their 14-year-old daughter, Nina Flick, were found dead inside a home in Souderton. Their 17-year-old son, Anthony Flick, was found wounded and was rushed to the hospital.

Ferman said on Tuesday that Anthony Flick was in "very serious condition."

Investigators believe the victims in Souderton were Stone's first alleged victims, who were shot around 3:30 a.m.

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Police were at that scene for an hours-long standoff on Monday, believing Stone was holed up inside the home.

The standoff ended after police entered the home just before noon.

An ambulance was seen rushing from that location a few moments later.

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By that time, the DA said, investigators in Lansdale had already found the bodies of Nicole Hill Stone's 57-year-old mother, Joanne Hill, and her 75-year-old grandmother, Patricia Hill.

That scene was in the 100 block of West 5th Street. Police arrived there at 4:25 a.m.

People who live nearby say they often saw Stone confronting his ex-wife outside.

"They weren't getting along," said Corlie Stills. "They started arguing with one another: 'I don't want you to have her. I don't want you to see her.' You know...."

Among the first on the scene after the bodies were found was Joyce Gorman, who said she's a close friend of the grandmother who was murdered.

Gorman said she knew in her gut what happened as soon as the news broke on TV.

"I was concerned because I couldn't get a hold of her and she hasn't called me back. We usually speak every couple of days, I just spoke with her yesterday," Gorman said.

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The DA's office describes Stone as 5'10" tall and weighing 195 pounds. He has a red or auburn beard and mustache with closely cropped hair.

While Stone is known to use a cane or walker to assist him, Ferman said, he may not be using those devices now. The DA also said Stone may be wearing military fatigues, in either sand or green color.

Neighbors say there has been an ongoing custody dispute between Stone and his ex-wife. Neighbors also said Stone had issues stemming from his time in the military.

According to a Marine spokesperson, Stone is a former Marine reservist who served from 2002 to 2011, with one deployment to Iraq, leaving with the rank of sergeant. He was deployed to Iraq from April, 2008 until July, 2008.

Stone and Hill married in 2004 and filed for divorce in 2009, the Associated Press reports, citing court records.

He had faced several driving-under-the-influence charges, one of which was handled in veterans' court and led to a three- to 23-month sentence, the AP reports.

Brad Stone remarried last year, according to his Facebook page and court records, and has an infant son. Neither his wife nor the son were injured. His wife's Facebook page shows their son and Stone's daughters having their picture taken with Santa on Saturday.Map My News

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