HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. – The shooting of a man who went on a rampage in central Pennsylvania, killing two neighbors and a third person before wounding three state troopers in a gunbattle, was a justifiable homicide, authorities ruled Saturday.

Investigators are still trying to figure out what set off the gunman, identified as Jeffrey Lee Michael, 44, of Geeseytown, a tiny village about 70 miles west of Harrisburg, the state capital.

“We’re not sure of the motive. We’ll be trying to find out by talking to people who knew him, see if he gave any indication,” Blair County District Attorney Richard Consiglio said of the violence, which began Friday morning in Frankstown Township and spanned five separate crime scenes across a 1.5-mile area.

Authorities said Michael knew his two male victims, but investigators do not yet know whether he knew the third, a woman who was slain while decorating a church hall for a children’s Christmas party.

Michael fired into the Juniata Valley Gospel Church from outside, then entered the church and fired again, killing Kimberly Scott, 58, of Duncansville, State Police Sgt. Gregory Bernard said.

Either shortly before or after that, Kenneth Lynn, 60, a neighbor of Michael’s, was shot in his driveway, authorities said.

Bernard said Michael drove his pickup truck along rural Juniata Valley Road and intentionally rammed another pickup driven by Lynn’s son-in-law, 38-year-old William Rhodes Jr. Rhodes died of blunt force trauma from the crash and from a gunshot wound, police said.

Police have not released information about the weapon or weapons used by Michael.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.