Police: Barracks ambush suspect sought mass murder
This undated PennDOT identification photo released Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Penn., being sought in Friday's shooting that left one trooper dead and another critically wounded at a state police barracks in Blooming Grove. A gunman killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson, 38, and critically wounded Trooper Alex Douglass outside the barracks during a late-night shift change, then slipped away. (AP Photo/PennDOT via Pennsylvania State Police)
This photo provided by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Cpl. Byron Dickson. Dickson was killed by a gunman as he left the police barracks in Blooming Grove, Pa. State police spokesman Trooper Tom Kelly said investigators hope to soon interview Trooper Alex Douglass, who was injured in the attack, to get additional information on the ambush. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania State Police)
BLOOMING GROVE, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of a trooper and the critical wounding of another outside a rural barracks is a survivalist who has expressed a desire to kill law enforcement officers and commit mass murder, state police said Tuesday.
Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Pennsylvania, is still armed with the .308-caliber rifle that he used to open fire on the barracks late Friday, State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said at a news conference in which he revealed the suspect’s name.
Noonan called Frein “extremely dangerous.”
“He has made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder,” Noonan said. “What his reasons are, we don’t know. But he has very strong feelings about law enforcement and seems to be very angry with a lot of things that go on in our society.”
Frein was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and other offenses. About 200 law enforcement officials are combing the rural area of northeastern Pennsylvania marked by dense forest, but “we have no idea where he is,” Noonan said.
A gunman killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson, 38, and critically wounded Trooper Alex Douglass outside the barracks during a late-night shift change, then slipped away.
Authorities were led to Frein after a resident who was walking his dog in a wooded area two miles from the barracks spotted a vehicle slightly submerged in a pond and called 911. In the vehicle, police found shell casings that matched those found at the shooting scene, Noonan said.
Investigators also found Frein’s Social Security card, a Pennsylvania Game Commission range permit, camouflage face paint, a black hooded sweatshirt, two empty rifle cases and military gear, Noonan said.