Shooter took hostages

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The building in which the shooter had barricaded himself with several hostages was surrounded by police.(Bild: AFP)

In the USA, a man shot three people and then barricaded himself in a house with several hostages. Details of the unbelievable act of bloodshed have now emerged. The shooter had targeted his own family. The man has now been arrested by the police. 

On Saturday morning, the shooter is said to have driven to his stepmother's house first. There he shot the woman and his 13-year-old sister. Three other people in the house, including a child, managed to hide.

Mother of the biological children killed
The suspected perpetrator then drove on to the home of the mother of his two biological children. He opened fire there and killed the 25-year-old. He hit and injured the woman's mother with his assault rifle, the prosecutor in charge told US media. The two crime scenes are located in Falls Township, a suburb of Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania.

The 26-year-old Andre Gordon was identified by the police as the suspected shooter.(Bild: Falls Township Police)

Car stolen, hostages taken
The suspected perpetrator, who police have since identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon, then fled in a stolen car that he had taken from a 44-year-old man in the parking lot of a discount store and eventually barricaded himself in Trenton in the neighboring state of New Jersey with several hostages.

The building in which the shooter had barricaded himself with several hostages was surrounded by police.(Bild: AFP)

It took hours for the police to take the suspect into custody. "He is now in police custody, there were no other injuries," the security forces announced. 

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According to the police, the other residents of the house had already been brought to safety without anyone being injured. Special units of the US Federal Police were also deployed.

Shooter is said to have been homeless recently
The gunman is said to have been homeless recently and was living separately from the mother of his children, who was killed. He used an AR-15 assault rifle as his murder weapon. In addition to the victims, there were other family members at the crime scenes. The authorities in Falls Township had called on its residents to seek safety on Saturday morning.

There was supposed to be a parade in the town to mark St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. According to the local TV station Fox29, this was canceled for safety reasons. The celebrations in honor of St. Patrick also brought Irish emigrants to the USA.