A gunman who barricaded himself inside his house after shooting a Pennsylvania State Police trooper was shot and killed early Wednesday after a 14-hour standoff, authorities said.
The man fired at troopers numerous times throughout the standoff in rural northern Pennsylvania and refused their attempts to get him to surrender, state police said. Police shot and killed him around 2 a.m., they said.
The dead gunman was identified as Delos Lowe, 68. A friend, Allen Potter, said Lowe suffered from mental illness for decades and had stopped taking his medication.
Troopers had been conducting a welfare check at the home in Nelson Township, in Tioga County, when they were met with gunfire, officials said.
One trooper was shot and was airlifted out. He was listed in stable condition Wednesday.
A second trooper suffered a leg injury. He was treated and released, authorities said.
The state police’s Special Emergency Response Team swarmed the scene as Lowe barricaded himself inside, authorities said.
Three troopers had gone to the home after a person who had regular contact with Lowe called to say he had been out of touch for several weeks, authorities said.
Troopers said they announced themselves, failed to get a response and then entered through an unlocked door. They called out again, they said, and that’s when a single shot was fired. The troopers retreated and requested backup, police said.
The shooting took place on a sparsely populated road just over the New York state line.
Potter, who has known Lowe for more than 45 years, said his friend lived alone and had become withdrawn and paranoid, shooing Potter away when he tried visiting.
“I tried seeing him over the last few years, and he was too far gone to even let me in the house,” Potter said. “If I had predicted that any one of my friends would do something like this, it would be him.”
Still, Potter had fond memories of Lowe, who he said advised him to join the military to escape an abusive home. When Potter served in the Gulf War, Lowe — himself a veteran — bought a satellite dish so he could follow the news from the Middle East. “He was so worried,” Potter recalled.
Lowe also offered Potter a place to stay when he came home from the war.
“If he was your friend, he was your friend all the way,” Potter said. “I’m really hurting now.”
