Woman killed by neighbor before responding state troopers were ambushed by gunfire, police say
A 61-year-old man fatally shot a neighbor in rural Pennsylvania Thursday and then ambushed responding state troopers, wounding two while firing dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, police said.
Lori Wasko’s boyfriend called 911 after 11 a.m. from their home near Thompson to report shots fired, state police Col. Christopher Paris told reporters. Wasko, 57, was shot and killed outside her home near her vehicle, police said. Police provided no information about a motive in the shooting.
A man identified as Carmine Faino, 61, shot Wasko and then shot troopers Joseph Perechinsky and William Jenkins as they were arriving, Paris said. The troopers’ police vehicles were hit by multiple bullets, he said.
Both troopers were in stable condition with serious injuries Wednesday night, he said.
Paris said the troopers “were dispatched to check the welfare of an individual. And there was additional information about shots being fired. But upon their arrival, they were immediately fired upon and ambushed. They are very lucky to be alive.”
Perechinsky applied a tourniquet to Jenkins, and a third trooper was able to help rescue them, Paris said.
Paris praised Perechinsky for his actions after being shot, providing first aid to his colleague and working to prevent further injuries or death.
“Perechinsky was able to commandeer a tractor-trailer that was driving by, and he ordered the driver of that tractor-trailer to pull his semi rig across the roadway so that more people would not drive down that roadway and potentially be subjected to the fire” that had been directed at Larson, Paris said.
Perechinsky was “still thinking at that point in time, after being shot twice in the chest, what can I do to secure this location? What can I do to make sure nobody else gets hurt?” Paris said.
The troopers were flown to hospitals for medical care.
Gov. Josh Shapiro called the two troopers heroes and said Perechinsky “saved lives.”
“He acted decisively. He acted thoughtfully. And the work he did today exemplifies the absolute best of the Pennsylvania State Police,” Shapiro said on Thursday.
Faino had a rifle and did not comply with demands, a state police statement said. He was “ultimately shot and killed during the incident,” police said.
The shooting happened about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of the borough of Thompson, some 163 miles (262 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.
Angelica Howell, a deputy coroner in Susquehanna County, said shortly after 3 p.m. that she was on her way to the shooting location.
Erika Mills, who lives less than a mile from where the shootings took place, said it made for a terrifying day in a community that is usefully peaceful.
“This is a very very quiet town. There has never been anything comparable,” she said.