A family of six was presumed dead the day after a shooting and fire at a home outside Philadelphia, authorities said Thursday, as investigators began combing through the charred remains of the house in search of the missing.
Three adults and three children who resided at the East Lansdowne, Pa., home were unaccounted for. Investigators found a human torso and a rifle in the home’s wreckage, leading authorities to “the gruesome assumption” that the entire family had probably been killed, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Thursday afternoon.
The house in East Lansdowne, Pa., burned down Wednesday after a shooter inside the home fired at police who were responding to a 911 call about a shooting at the address. Amid ongoing gunfire, two police officers were shot and injured before someone inside set the house aflame.
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One of the family members may have been the shooter, Stollsteimer said, but it could be difficult for detectives to determine exactly what unfolded in the house.
“There are six members of the Le family who were residing in that house who … we fear are in the house and have been killed,” Stollsteimer said, identifying the family only by their last name. “We’re still in the process of trying to find out where everybody is inside the house and do the awful, horrible work of trying to recover these bodies.”
The blaze was so violent that authorities were unable to enter the home Wednesday and returned to the scene Thursday morning to begin investigating. They were tearing the house down with heavy equipment, and the county medical examiner and county detectives were on the scene.
The two police officers’ injuries were not life-threatening and they were both in stable condition Thursday, with one released from the hospital in the afternoon.
The tragedy began with a 911 call around 3:47 p.m. Wednesday reporting that an 11-year-old girl had been shot at the home in East Lansdowne, a small borough near West Philadelphia. When police officers arrived at the home, “they were immediately met by gunfire,” Stollsteimer told reporters Wednesday evening.
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The two officers were each shot once and were dragged away from the house by other police officers as the shooter continued firing. The house was then set on fire and quickly became engulfed in flames, Stollsteimer said.
Share this articleShareThat left authorities with many unanswered questions Wednesday evening, including whether a child had been shot as reported in the 911 call, how many people were in the house, whether occupants were killed in the fire and who the shooter was.
On Thursday, the home’s walls were in danger of collapsing, about six feet of water stood in the basement and hot spots were still burning, making the investigation a time-consuming and risky process. Identifying remains and piecing together evidence would probably be a long process, the district attorney said.
“Who shot and how the fire was started — if we ever determine it, it won’t be anytime soon,” Stollsteimer said.
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Two additional family members, identified as grandparents of the children who lived in the house, left the house at some point Wednesday and survived.
Stollsteimer said responders had not been able to immediately put the fire out Wednesday because gunshots were still coming from the house. The other homes on the block were evacuated. Neighbors described fear as they heard gunshots and tried to shelter.
“It was very scary,” neighbor Derrick Richardson told 6ABC. “My whole house was surrounded by police officers. Everybody had their guns drawn.”
An elementary school is near the home, and the local school district said counselors would be available Thursday.
“Like all of you, we are at a loss regarding the horrific tragedy that happened in East Lansdowne yesterday,” the William Penn School District said in an online update. “This is a time when we need to be there for each other and to provide reassurance for our students, as it is impossible to make sense of what occurred.”
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One of the injured officers was David Schiazza, 54, of the Lansdowne Police Department, who was shot in the leg and was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon.
The other was John Meehan, 44, of East Lansdowne Police Department, who was shot in the arm. He needed surgery and could be released from the hospital later Thursday or Friday, the district attorney said. Both have been officers for 22 years.
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