A manhunt is underway for a “survivalist” who has expressed a desire to kill law enforcement officers and commit mass murder after killing a trooper and critically wounding another outside a Pennsylvania barracks, authorities said.
State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Pa., is considered armed and “extremely dangerous,” and is wanted for Friday’s murder of Pennsylvania Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson.
“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.”
Noonan says about 200 law enforcement officials are combing the rural area of northeastern Pennsylvania marked by dense forests, but “we have no idea where he is,” Noonan said.
Frein’s father, Michael Frein, a retired major in the U.S. Army with 28 years of service, told police that his son is an excellent marksman who “doesn’t miss,” according to a police affidavit released Tuesday.
He also told police that two weapons were missing from the home — an AK-47 and a .308 rifle with a scope, according to the affidavit.
Frein has held anti-law enforcement views for many years and has expressed them both online and to people who knew him, said Lt. Col. George Bivens.
“This was not unexpected,” Bivens said. “As we’ve interviewed a number of people, that’s been the common theme. This was not a surprise.”
Frein was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and other offenses after his partially submerged 2001 Jeep was discovered by a dog walker in a marshy area approximately two miles from the scene of the shooting at Blooming Grove’s barracks, said Noonan.
Inside authorities recovered shell casings matching those found at the barracks.
“We also found in that vehicle, the defendant’s Social Security card, a Game Commission range permit for the defendant, camouflage face paint, a flashlight, black hooded sweatshirt, two empty rifle cases, military gear and various information concerning his (home) location,” said Noonan.
Frein recently lived about 20 miles from the scene of the ambush, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation said Tuesday.
The suspect lived with his parents in Canadensis until a few months ago, said the official, who was not authorized to release the information and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Two state police troopers armed with rifles stood in the driveway of the home, a well-kept two-story in a private community. Several other cars were in the driveway Tuesday afternoon.
Inside a bedroom said to belong to the suspect, Noonan said they found spent casings which matched those used by Friday’s gunman.
With the gunman still on the loose, residents were jittery.
Rich Turner, 52, who lives around the corner, said school buses avoided the neighborhood Tuesday, with parents directed to take their kids to school and to pick them up.
“Everybody’s wondering if he’s still out there. Everyone’s on edge, to a degree,” said Turner, who didn’t know Eric Frein but said he had dealings with his mother, who headed the community association.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit group upped its reward offer to $75,000 for tips leading to the coward’s capture.
Police have not determined a motive, but said the shooter harbored a personal hatred for the Pennsylvania State Police and carefully calculated his fatal attack.
The rifle-wielding gunman frequented shooting ranges to keep his skills sharp and drove by the barracks many times, mapping the most hidden spots with the easiest escape routes.
Around 11 p.m. Friday, the crazed assailant finally put his plan into action.
Court documents filed Tuesday revealed 38-year-old Bryon Dickson, a seven-year veteran of the force, was shot as soon as he walked out the front door of the barracks.
A communications officer heard the shot, saw Dickson on the ground and asked him what had happened. Dickson told her he’d been hit and asked her to bring him inside — but the gunman had squeezed off another round, forcing his would-be rescuer inside.
He also critically injured Alex Douglass, a nine-year veteran who is now conscious and speaking with investigators.
Douglass had just arrived at the barracks and was shot in the pelvis as he walked toward Dickson. Douglass managed to crawl into the lobby, where another trooper brought him into a secure area of the barracks. Douglass later underwent surgery at a hospital.
Other troopers drove a patrol SUV into the parking lot and used it as a shield so they could drag Dickson into the barracks and begin attempts to save his life.
He died at the scene. A coroner said he had been shot twice.
About 90 seconds had elapsed between the first shot and the fourth and final one.
The gunman, who used a 308-caliber rifle to shoot and kill, then slipped into the night, protected by the area’s dense forest.
On Monday, Lt. Col. George Bivens made an open statement to the at-large killer.
“I want you to know that troopers are working around the clock to bring you to justice,” he said. “The Pennsylvania State Police is committed to bringing you to justice. We will find you and we will seek justice when we do.”
The manhunt, which entered its fifth day Tuesday, has been fueled by hundreds of “credible” tips from the public, Bivens said. A nonprofit group has promised a whopping $75,000 for any tip that leads to an arrest.
Dickson’s family will hold a funeral for the Scranton area trooper Thursday. He is survived by his wife of 10 years and two young sons.
With News Wire Services
