An Altoona man - and a 19-year-old woman - died Friday when the man engaged in a shootout with state police in Dauphin County at the end of a high-speed chase following a deadly shooting in Lancaster County.
Ricky Shannon, 22, who was believed to have left his Altoona residence early Friday morning upon receiving a PFA order, was reported to have gone to an apartment complex in Mount Joy and shot three people, killing one.
From there, police said Shannon fled in a pick-up truck and traveled as much as 90 to 100 mph over 40 miles and into Dauphin County, where troopers forced his vehicle to come to a stop.
It was Shannon who initiated the shootout with troopers and put them in danger, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a press conference to address the chain of events.
"(Shannon) opened fire and fired multiple rounds that struck the patrol cars and locations within inches of the troopers, so he left them with no option but to return fire," Bivens said.
When troopers subsequently checked on Shannon, Bivens said they discovered that a woman was also inside the pick-up truck. She, too, was dead from gunshot wounds.
"Darkness, window tinting and ultimately airbag deployment … had prevented the officers from knowing that there was another occupant in that vehicle," Bivens said.
Police on Friday declined to release the names of the 19-year-old woman - and the woman who died in the Lancaster apartment shooting - pending notification of their family members.
But Shannon and the 19-year-old woman had filed PFAs against each other this week, according to Bivens.
In Blair County court, Shannon secured a PFA order Tuesday afternoon asking that the 19-year-old woman be evicted and excluded from their residence on the 500 block of 11th Street.
In requesting the court order, Shannon accused the woman of being physically abusive to him and to others, of damaging property and playing with fire. A copy of that PFA order was to be provided to Altoona's and to Mount Joy's police departments, with a hearing scheduled Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Blair County Courthouse.
While Bivens indicated that the woman secured a PFA order in Lancaster County that was served Friday morning to Shannon at his Altoona residence, the Mirror was unable on Friday to secure a copy of that order.
Bivens also reported Friday that state police Major Case Teams from Troops H and J have been activated as part of the ongoing investigation. Their work is expected to include additional interviews and the review of body camera and vehicle dash camera video.
"From the preliminary information, clearly there was some kind of domestic disagreement between both," Bivens said. "The shooting (in the Mount Joy apartment) occurred almost immediately upon (Shannon's) arrival. So it appears there was likely some thought given and the whole thing transpired very quickly once he arrived."
Bivens also indicated that the 19-year-old woman - who was related to the people shot in the Mount Joy apartment - may have been shot inside that apartment, too.
"We have some information to suggest that she may have been shot at the (Mount Joy) scene by this subject as well," Bivens said. "But there's additional witnesses to be interviewed. Some people did see them leaving."
Police initially responded to reports of shots being fired at the Terrace Hill Apartments on Main Street in Mount Joy at 4:15 a.m., and to reports of the suspect driving a red pick-up truck.
State police said Mount Joy borough police spotted the truck at 4:22 a.m. and initiated a chase that other departments joined as Shannon fled, sometimes driving the wrong way on Route 322, where his truck struck several vehicles.
"It was an intense pursuit, at a high speed, 95 to 100 miles an hour at times," Bivens said.
The pursuit ended as Shannon, traveling west in the eastbound lanes of Route 322, exited at Route 147, where state troopers used a tactical driving maneuver, which forced Shannon to stop.
Bivens also revealed during the press conference that Shannon was licensed to carry a firearm and in the past had legally purchased firearms. At the time of the shootout with police, Bivens said officers were aware that Shannon was in possession of one gun that he was able to reload and fire.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.