A man who ambushed and shot two Pennsylvania state troopers Thursday died and the troopers were hospitalized, officials said.
The attack took place in the rural area near Thompson shortly after 11 a.m., state police Col. Christoper Paris told reporters after he and Gov. Josh Shapiro met with one of the wounded officers in a hospital. Troopers Joseph Perechinsky and William Jenkins were said to be in stable condition with serious injuries.
Paris said the two troopers “were dispatched to check the welfare of an individual. And there was additional information about shots being fired. We will have more information about the specifics of how that call came in. But upon their arrival, they were immediately fired upon and ambushed. They are very lucky to be alive.”
One trooper applied a tourniquet to another and a third trooper was able to help rescue them, Paris said. The two were flown to hospitals for medical care.
Shapiro called the two troopers heroes and said Perechinsky “saved lives,” including people who were in the area.
“He acted decisively. He acted thoughtfully. And the work he did today exemplifies the absolute best of the Pennsylvania State Police,” Shapiro said.
A state police statement said the unnamed man was armed with a rifle and did not comply with demands. The statement indicated he was “ultimately shot and killed during the incident.”
The location was about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of the borough of Thompson, some 163 miles (262 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.
Angelica Howell, a deputy coroner in Susquehanna County, said shortly after 3 p.m. that she was on her way to where the shooting occurred. Howell said authorities did not indicate whether there was more than one person dead when they asked the coroner’s office to respond.
“I can tell you that the actor is deceased and more information will be released specifically about what happened today,” Paris said. The troopers’ police vehicles were hit by multiple bullets, he said.