A man accused of killing his stepmother, teen sister and the mother of his two children in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was captured by police in Trenton, New Jersey.
Andre Gordon, 26, was found walking through the streets of Trenton and trying to blend in with the crowd early Saturday evening after two separate shootings left three of his family members dead and two different communities across two states in complete shock, investigators said.
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The ordeal began Saturday around 8:30 a.m. on Southard Street in Trenton, New Jersey. Sonya Hansen said she was sitting in her car with her grandson when a man -- who police later identified as Gordon -- approached the vehicle while armed with a gun.
“And then he pulled the gun out and my grandson seen the gun, he’s only 9-years-old, he jumped out the car and ran,” Hansen said. “And then I see my grandson run so I jumped over the car, over the seat, and then I ran to my daughter’s house.”
Gordon stole Hansen's vehicle, drove it to a home on Viewpoint Lane in Levittown, Pennsylvania, around 8:50 a.m. and forced his way inside the house, according to officials.
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Gordon then allegedly shot and killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, as well as his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon, inside the home. Three other family members, including another 13-year-old, were also inside the home at the time, officials said. Gordon searched for the other three family members but left after he couldn't find them, according to investigators.
Shortly after, around 9 a.m., Gordon broke into another home about two miles away on Edgewood Lane in Levittown, investigators said. Once inside, he killed the mother of his two children, 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, according to officials. Their two children were also inside the home as well as Daniel's mother and a fourth family member.
Police said Gordon bludgeoned Daniel's mother with his weapon. She is currently recovering at the hospital.
Police said Gordon then carjacked another person at gunpoint in the parking lot of the Dollar General store on the 1200 block of Bristol Pike in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The driver was not injured.
Officials believe Gordon was armed with an AR-15 style weapon during the murders and carjacking incidents.
Investigators said they later recovered the stolen vehicle, a 2016 dark gray Honda CRV.
After the shootings, a shelter-in-place was in effect for about three hours in Falls Township before it was lifted.
How Andre Gordon was captured in Trenton
Investigators later determined that Gordon was barricaded inside a home with other people inside on the 100 block of Phillips Avenue in Trenton, New Jersey. Police and SWAT team members arrived and surrounded the home around 10:30 a.m., at one point breaking the windows and throwing tear gas inside.
Police tried to contact Gordon inside the home but were unable to.
Shortly before 3 p.m., SkyForce10 captured police bringing people out of the second floor window of the home and then down a ladder to safety.
At some point, investigators learned that Gordon was no longer inside the house, however.
“He was at that house at one point but before we were able to establish a perimeter, he slipped out,” Trenton Police Director Steven Wilson said. "At some point we did receive information that the suspect may be on the street.”
Gordon was later found by police unarmed and walking on New York Avenue in Trenton around 5 p.m., according to investigators.
“Trenton Police patrol officers were the ones who apprehended him,” Wilson said. “When they grabbed him he was identified.”
Marissa Ridorfino said she witnessed the arrest.
“They had guns drawn but the guy didn’t have any weapons on him,” she said. “So he got down but started getting up again. But then they got him down and then they just tackled him.”
Police have not yet determined how long Gordon was walking around in Trenton before he was captured. They also have not yet recovered his weapon, investigators said.
Neighbors in Trenton told NBC10 they were shocked a murder suspect was walking through their community for what may have been several hours.
“It was actually kind of crazy that he wasn’t even in the house,” Ridorfino said.
Gordon is currently in custody at Trenton Police headquarters and will later be extradited back to Pennsylvania.
Police also said all of the people inside the home on Phillips Avenue are accounted for and no one was injured.
What we know about Andre Gordon
Gordon is currently homeless and has ties to Trenton, New Jersey, officials said. Police did not reveal whether or not he has a criminal record or a possible motive. They also have not yet revealed if Gordon has a history of mental health issues or substance abuse issues.
Residents react to the ordeal
On social media, State Rep. Steve Santarsiero (D-10th district) said Bucks County's St. Patrick's Day parade, scheduled to be held Saturday morning, was canceled due to the emergency situation.
The Oxford Valley Mall, Sesame Place Philadelphia and a Target store in Langhorne were also closed during the ordeal.
Levittown residents told NBC10 their neighborhood is normally safe, making Saturday's ordeal all the more jarring.
"We have block parties every year, and all the neighbors know everybody," Shaun Murphy, a resident, told NBC10. "So the camaraderie is really good."
Steve Shive, another neighbor, said he witnessed Gordon driving in the stolen vehicle and then entering the home on Viewpoint Lane.
"As I was in the middle of the street, I see this silver car coming at a really high rate of speed. It had to be at least 60 mph," Shive said. "And I saw the car parked in front of the house up the street, about six houses up from mine, and I saw a guy get out of the car and run to the house."
Neighbors said they often saw Karen Gordon and Kera Gordon walking their dog and they also recognized Andre Gordon from occasional visits.
"I don't know if I've actually processed it," Shive told NBC10. "Because I know two of the victims."
School community mourns Kera Gordon
Kera Gordon was a student at Charles Boehm Middle School in Yardley, Pennsylvania, according to Pennsbury School District Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith.
"It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the tragic loss of an 8th-grade student from Boehm Middle School that occurred in connection with the events of today," Smith wrote in a letter to the school community. "We extend our deepest condolences to the family for their loss."
Smith said counselors will be available for students, family members and staff members on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school as well as for students and staff on Monday.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
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