Crime & Safety
Bucks, Montgomery Counties on Edge as Hunt for Gunman Continues
Bradley Stone, 35, is suspected of killing six people—his ex-wife and five of her family members—during a shooting spree Monday.
An overnight manhunt for murder suspect Bradley Stone continued throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties Tuesday and by daybreak, authorities were still seeking the man believed to have killed six people in a shooting rampage the day before.
The search, now in its second day, caused fear across two counties as residents in numerous communities were required to shelter in place while some schools were on lockdown and even closed.
Stone, 35, is suspected of killing six people—his ex-wife and five of her family members—during a multi-location shooting spree that began around 3:30 a.m. Monday in Souderton, Montgomery County. Victims were also killed in Lansdale and Lower Salford Township.
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Another victim, the 17-year-old nephew of Stone’s ex-wife, was airlifted from a home in Souderton with a gunshot wound to the head.
The search on Monday was largely confined to Pennsburg, where Stone lives, but shortly after 7 p.m., a possible sighting was reported in Doylestown, Bucks County.
Find out what's happening in Upper Moreland-Willow Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
An hours-long search throughout the wooded area along Burpee Road and Shady Retreat Road in Doylestown followed. Doylestown residents were asked to shelter in place, as K-9 units, helicopters and thermal imaging technology was used to locate the suspect.
But the search turned up empty and before midnight, the shelter in place in Doylestown was lifted.
It is not clear where authorities believe Stone is as of Tuesday morning.
However, some schools cancelled classes as a precaution. Upper Perkiomen School District, which includes Pennsburg, is closed Tuesday.
“Due to the fact that law enforcement still seeks the whereabouts of an armed and dangerous local resident, Upper Perkiomen schools will be closed on Tuesday, December 16th. The District attorney has asked that people in our area remain vigilant,” the district announced on its website. Decisions regarding the reopening of schools will be made on a daily basis, the district said.
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