Global Courant
In his nearly 40 years as a member of the Pennsylvania State Police, Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said he had never witnessed a more intense gunfight than the one that erupted this weekend with a suspect allegedly ambushing a trooper. and was killed and seriously injured. another.
“What I experienced… was one of the most intense, incredible gunfights I have ever seen,” Bivens said at a news conference on Sunday.
The suspect, 38-year-old Brandon Stine, was shot by police on Saturday during a shootout in which “hundreds of bullets” were fired, according to Bivens.
State Police Commissioner Christopher L. Paris said Stine was armed with a high-powered .458 magnum rifle, which he says is normally used by big game hunters.
“This was as harrowing as it gets,” Paris said of the gunfight that ended with Stine’s death.
Tpr. Jacques F. Rougeau Jr. is the 104th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to give his life on Saturday, PSP said at a news conference in Harrisburg, PA, June 18, 2023.
PAcast
Bivens said the rifle Stine allegedly used would “beat any body armor” the officers he confronted were wearing.
A motive for the rampage is still under investigation, and authorities declined to comment on whether state police had prior contact with Stine, who is from Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, in Juniata County.
Bivens described the initial attacks on the troopers as an “ambush” and said the suspect called 911 several times to report his location in an apparent attempt to trap officers.
The violence occurred around 11 a.m. Saturday when Stine drove his 2008 Chevrolet pickup truck into the parking lot of the Troop G state police barracks in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, got out of his vehicle and fired several shots at parked patrol cars before driving away . Surveillance cameras captured Stine firing his gun in the parking lot and enabled police to obtain his license plate number and identify him as the registered owner and likely attacker, Paris said.
Lieutenant Colonel George Biven provides an update on the two Pennsylvania State Police soldiers shot June 18, 2023 in Juniata County, Harrisburg, PA.
PAcast
State police immediately launched a massive search for the suspect, who was spotted at 12:45 a.m. Saturday in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, about 13 miles northwest of Lewistown, by State Police Lieutenant James Wagner, Paris said. Wagner was seriously injured during a confrontation with the suspect, Paris said.
He said several civilians came to the aid of Wagner, 45, using his radio to call for help.
Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Commissioner Christopher Paris provides an update on the two Pennsylvania State Police soldiers who were shot on June 18, 2023 in Juniata County, Harrisburg, PA.
PAcast
At around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, trooper Jacques F. Rougeau Jr., 29, a member of the state police since 2020, was fatally shot in his patrol vehicle as he participated in the search for Stine.
Bivens claimed that Rougeau was “mobbed” by Stine while the trooper was driving in Walker Township.
He said Rougeau was fatally shot from a distance through the windshield of the patrol vehicle. He said Stine then drove into a residential area and was eventually spotted again by officers in the parking lot of a store and restaurant.
“There were people on the property patronizing that business,” said Bivens, who was in a police helicopter over the chase.
Bivens said the troopers positioned themselves between the suspect and civilians and used their patrol vehicle to drive the suspect away from the businesses. He said several troopers were shot at by the suspect.
“It was such a volatile situation that our patrol car members were literally jumping out of cars as they were running,” Bivens said.
In an apparent attempt to escape, Stine drove across the yard and yard of a house and got stuck against a row of trees, Bivens said. He was fatally shot in a final shootout with police, Bivens said.
Paris added: “It’s a miracle no members of the public were killed or injured.”
