At least 6 unaccounted for after fire in East Lansdowne; shooting injures 2 officers
DA Stollsteimer said a person inside the home started a fire about 15 minutes after officers arrived.
EAST LANSDOWNE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- At least six people are unaccounted for after a house was set on fire Wednesday afternoon during a shooting that injured two police officers in East Lansdowne, Delaware County.
District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said officers were responding to a report of an 11-year-old shot, but at this point, it's not clear if a child was actually shot.
As soon as officers arrived at the scene at about 3:45 p.m., a person started shooting at them on the unit block of Lewis Avenue, Stollsteimer said.
CHOPPER VIDEO: Officers shot while responding to shooting involving child
Two officers were both shot once and the suspect retreated into the home. One was shot in the arm and the other in the leg, and they were in stable condition, said Margie McAboy, director of policy and public engagement for the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
Stollsteimer said a person inside the home started a fire about 15 minutes after officers arrived.
Due to the fire damage, it's still too dangerous for investigators to search the home. Authorities believe there may have been several people inside when it started.
"We know the victim's family had a lot of people living in that house, including children. We are aware that there were at least six to eight people who were unaccounted for from that family," said Stollsteimer. "It is our terrible fear that they may be inside that house when it was burned. We are hopeful that that is not true."
Further information on the missing individuals is expected to be revealed on Thursday once investigators can get inside the charred residence.
Officers dragged to safety
Police were immediately met by gunfire when they arrived.
Stollsteimer said officers with the Upper Darby Police Department were able to drag the officers to safety.
"It was because of the Upper Darby Police Department who also responded to that call that these officers are alive today. They were dragged out of danger by Upper Darby police officers," said Stollsteimer. "Everybody in law enforcement and Delaware County works together."
Neighbor Derrick Richardson shot cell phone video of the chaotic scene as officers helped an injured officer and called for a medic while they were under fire.
"It was very scary, it was very scary. My whole house was surrounded by police officers. Everybody had their guns drawn. Long rifles and the gunshots," he said.
Chopper video also showed one officer being carried away from the scene and being put in an ambulance. A SWAT vehicle was also seen breaking down a wall of the home.
"I saw the SWAT team, they were parked up on my lawn, they packed into the back of the SWAT vehicle. I think they were attempting to use the SWAT vehicle as shield, but the fire just got to be out of control," Richardson said.
One officer was shot in the leg, the other was struck in the arm.
The officers are from the Lansdowne Police Department and the East Lansdowne Police Department. They have not been identified, but Stollsteimer said they have been with their departments for two decades.
"Everybody in Delaware County should be praying for these two officers who ran towards fire when everybody else can run away from it."D.A. Jack Stollsteimer
"I just can't thank these officers and this team enough for the heroism displayed every single day by our police officers throughout the county, or particularly today. I can't thank Upper Darby police officers enough for what they did to drag these two gentlemen away from the gunfire. Or we might be having a whole different conversation tonight about what happened," Stollsteimer added.
Neighbors recall chaos
The incident unfolded as school was letting out and families were walking back home.
The entire block was evacuated, according to the district attorney. A man who lives nearby described the frightening scene.
"There was rapid gunfire. I was just sitting on the couch, then I heard, 'Pop! Pop! Pop!' (I) peeked out to see, then literally 10 seconds later cops were coming out from everywhere in every direction yelling, 'Active shooter! Close your door,'" he said.
'Get in the house': Resident recalls emergency response after officers shot
"I heard a lot of gunshots as I just came from the store and then I smelled the smoke about 10 minutes later. And I just seen cops come everywhere, running in their vests and everything," said one resident. "I heard [them] yelling 'active shooter, get in the house, barricade, don't come out,'" the neighbor said.
Other residents described the chaos as they ran into their homes.
"All the cops was coming with guns, rifles out and I said, 'Close the door, leave the groceries'. My hood was up and my car was open," recalled Veronica Carrington.
"My kids were scared and then I said, 'Get away from the windows, get down, until we know it's all safe and everything.' And my little 4-year-old goes, 'Mommy I'm so scared.' And I'm like, 'It's OK babe,'" added Stevie Ann of East Lansdowne.
DA Jack Stollsteimer provides update on shooting the injured 2 officers in East Lansdowne
The blaze raged on for hours as crews worked to get it under control. Fire crews were initially kept away from the scene due to the gunfire.
The massive plume of smoke could be seen across the community. It was so intense it was picked up on StormTracker 6 radar.
Both police officers were alert and talking at Penn Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, officials said.
"Everybody in Delaware County should be praying for these two officers who ran towards fire when everybody else can run away from it," Stollsteimer said.
Further information on who was inside the home or the identity of the shooter remains under investigation.
"We don't know who was in the house, we don't know who the shooter was, we don't know how many people are in there, we don't know their status [and] we don't know if they're alive," Stollsteimer said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
