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SAYLORSBURG, Pa. — A gunman blasted shots through the wall of a Pennsylvania municipal building during a meeting on Monday and then barged into the meeting room and continued firing, killing three people, before he was tackled by a local official and shot with his own gun, a witness said.

The shooting, which also injured some people, happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. during Ross Township's monthly meeting, Monroe County emergency management director Guy Miller said. The gunman, who appeared to be "shooting randomly," was captured and was treated at a hospital, which was placed on lockdown, he said. The shooter later was released into police custody, said the hospital, which was treating two shooting victims.

State police in Lehighton confirmed the gunman had been captured but didn't immediately have details on the arrest.

The Pocono Record said one of its reporters was in the township building and a gunman armed with a pistol with a scope shot through a wall into the meeting, in a rural area of northeastern Pennsylvania about 85 miles north of Philadelphia.

The reporter, Chris Reber, told the newspaper that all he saw was holes go through the wall, with smoke and plaster blowing out. He said he heard automatic gunfire.

"I ran out after the first round of shooting. I dropped to the floor. That's what everyone did. ... Then it stopped and I crawled out the side door," Reber told the newspaper, which posted his account online. "I was the only person who crawled out. Everyone got behind a table. Some of the supervisors were over on the side throwing up."

Reber said a woman opened a door to the meeting room "and he (the shooter) was standing there. A man pushed her aside and was shot. People were shot inside the room."

The shooter returned to his car and came back inside with another weapon when a local official at the meeting grabbed him, Reber said.

"(West End Open Space Commission executive director) Bernie Kozen was there tending to the man and he (the shooter) didn't see them," Reber said. "Bernie bearhugged him and took him down. He shot (the shooter) with his own gun."

Rep. Matt Cartwright, who represents the state's 17th District, said he was "stunned and appalled at the atrocities that claimed the lives of innocent citizens in Ross Township." He said he had heard about what Kozen did to prevent more bloodshed.

"Mr. Kozen is a true hero tonight," Cartwright said in an emailed statement.

Authorities initially said two people had been killed and three had been injured. After the third person died, it was unclear whether that person had previously been classified as one of the injured.

Ross Township has about 5,500 residents. According to its website, the board of supervisors meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. http://www.centredaily.com/2013/08/05/3722030/2-reported-dead-in-pa-mu
nicipal.html#storylink=cpy

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State police in Lehighton confirm four people are dead and say the gunman had an ongoing dispute with township officials over the possible condemnation of his property.

The Pocono Record says one of its reporters was in the township building and a gunman armed with a pistol with a scope shot through a wall into the meeting, which was being held about 85 miles north of Philadelphia.

The shooter returned to his car and came back inside with another weapon when a local official at the meeting grabbed him, Reber said.

"(West End Open Space Commission executive director) Bernie Kozen was there tending to the man and he (the shooter) didn't see them," Reber said. "Bernie bearhugged him and took him down. He shot (the shooter) with his own gun." http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9196396

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Feud over ramshackle property in Monroe County led to shooting that killed 3: police

Newell had been in a long-running dispute with township officials over the dilapidated condition of his property, state police Capt. Edward Hoke said. The township supervisors voted in February 2012 to take legal action against Newell for violating zoning and sewer regulations, according to meeting minutes posted online.

Last October, Newell set up a fundraising page online and was trying to raise $10,000 to pay for legal fees in his battle with the township.

The property includes an old camper in the front yard filled with wooden pallets, pieces of what appear to be old railroad ties and trash. A garage leans and appears close to collapse, and a propane tank sits inside an old dog house.

State police, who guarded the property early Tuesday, were awaiting a search warrant so they can enter it.

In June, the Pocono Record wrote a story about what it said was an 18-year fight between the township and Newell over his property.

Monroe County Court in August 2012 sided with the township and ordered Newell to vacate and never again occupy or use the property unless he had the permits to do so. The report said Newell had been living out of a car, a 1984 Pontiac Fiero, and in abandoned buildings since being ordered to vacate.

Newell told the paper he was unemployed for years after an injury from a crash and had nowhere else to go.

"They have no right to kick me off my property," he told the newspaper. "They call my property an eyesore. When I bought it, it was one of only three properties on the entire road that didn't have what they call junk."

Ross Township has about 5,500 residents. According to its website, the board of supervisors meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. Excerpts from http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/feud_over_ramshackl
e_property.html

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Third, you must understand Gilberton is in a part of Schuylkill County that at times has made the Wild West look serene by comparison, so let's not be shocked if a police chief or anyone else in that area seems a little rough around the edges.

I lived in Schuylkill County before I moved to the Lehigh Valley, and I love the people there. This, however, is the area where the Molly Maguires once went on their rampages and were hanged in the 1870s; this is the hard coal region, where it took hard men and hard women to get through hard times. The region's rambunctious atmosphere, as far as I can tell, has not significantly changed. It seems that every wedding reception ends with a brawl. http://articles.mcall.com/2013-07-25/news/mc-pc-gilberton-police-chief
-20130725_1_assault-rifle-gun-molly-maguires

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