Thursday, two Pennsylvania State Troopers were ambushed from a distance by a gunman armed with a rifle. The gunman is believed to have killed a woman and also fired at an arriving EMT. That gunman was later killed by a member of the Special Emergency Response Team.
Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police, described the events in a press conference Thursday night. The state police, at 11:17 a.m., first received a call reporting shots fired in the vicinity of a home along a two-lane state highway in Thompson Township.
The male caller reported shots fired. His live-in girlfriend had been shot and killed in front of the home, near her vehicle.
“We're still very much mapping the scene and trying to identify the exact sequence of events, but she had been shot,” said Paris.
Two troopers, Trooper Joseph Perechinsky and Trooper William Jenkins, were dispatched from the PSP post in Gibson. Paris said
“The troopers made it out of their vehicles, and they were ambushed from a very good distance away,” Paris said. “They were ambushed by several rounds of rifle fire from a position of tactical superiority.”
The colonel said Perechinsky was shot twice in the chest/torso area and Jenkins was shot twice, once in each arm. The wounded Perechinsky was able to assist his fellow trooper and applied tourniquets to both of Jenkins’ arms.
“Their cars, where they had arrived and gotten out of, were also riddled with gunfire,” Paris added. “I'm not prepared today to speak about how many rounds were actually fired. I do feel confident in saying several dozen rounds were fired in the continuity and the entirety of this incident.”
Two additional troopers arrived and evacuated the wounded troopers to a safe area, where they were airlifted by medical helicopter. Paris said both are hospitalized but in good spirits.
In addition to the wounded troopers, an EMT responding to the scene in a quick response vehicle was fired on by the gunman. Paris said EMT took evasive action while under fire, and his vehicle veered off the side of the roadway and crashed, causing injuries to the EMT.
Details of the Suspected Shooter
Paris identified the suspected shooter as Carmine Faino, 61, and explained he was a neighbor to the woman who was killed; however, their properties are separated by several hundred yards.
The colonel said police believe he was the one who killed the woman, shot the troopers, and fired on the EMT’s vehicle.
Setting the Perimeter
With assistance from officers from two counties, state police were able to establish a perimeter around Faino’s home.
“We attempted to use a drone, which he shot down,” Paris said.
PSP responded with its Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) while local officers held the perimeter.
Standoff Ended
“We attempted at length to try and negotiate with Mr. Fano, our actor here, at one point, I will tell you he was sitting on a propane tank, which caused further concern that he had attempted to turn that into an improvised explosive device,” Paris detailed. “And we were concerned about other weapons, not only the weapon that he was using, he was using a semi-automatic long gun from which he fired several dozen rounds through this incident, but we were also concerned about other explosive devices that he may or may not have deployed at that location.”
“After a period of attempting to negotiate with him, he continued to be a threat, and he was shot by members of the Special Emergency Response Team. He is deceased,” Paris said.
