Pennsylvania Cop Shooter Hit Two Troopers and Missed One in 90 Seconds
Moment by moment account of last week's shooting at troopers' barracks.
— -- The gunman who shot two Pennsylvania state troopers outside their barracks last week hit both of them and missed a third trooper within 90 seconds, and then slipped away, according to a detailed account of the shooting released today.
One of the troopers was apparently shot at least one more time while lying on the ground, a court document states.
The account was included in an arrest affidavit for Eric Matthew Frein, 31, from Canadensis, Pa., a survivalist who police said was angry at cops.
The first shot rang out at 10:50 p.m. Friday as Corporal Bryon Dickson, 38, in full uniform, walked out of the troopers' barracks and headed for his patrol car.
"As Corporal Dickson exited the front door, he immediately dropped to the ground in front of the door where he remained motionless," the affidavit states.
Another trooper, Nicole Palmer, had just arrived at work in the barracks communications room and had noticed Dickson heading towards the exit, according to the affidavit. She heard what she said sounded like a firecracker and looked outside to see Dickson on the ground.
Suspect in Pennsylvania Cop Shooting Is a Sharpshooting Survivalist
Palmer went outside and approached Dickson to ask what happened. Dickson was able to tell her he had been shot and needed help, the affidavit states.
"While attending to Cpl. Dickson the defendant fired another shot in the direction of front entrance ... and Palmer stated that she saw a cloud of white residue on the floor of the lobby," according to the affidavit.
She ran inside and tried unsuccessfully to call 911, and then returned to Dickson. "He asked her to bring him inside, but she was unable to," the document states.
Palmer went back inside and called for help.
About the same time, Trooper Alex Douglass, 31, was returning to the barracks from his patrol car in the nearby parking lot.
"As Trooper Douglass approached Cpl. Dickson, he looked into the lobby at which time he fell to the ground," according to the police report.
Douglass was able to crawl into the lobby, where Trooper William Fells ran out to pull him into a secure area of the barracks.
Other troopers then used an SUV as a shield that allowed Dickson to be pulled inside the barracks.
Douglass was rushed to a hospital in Scranton where he had surgery for a pelvic wound. Dickson died in the barracks from "multiple gunshot wounds," the document states.
Police later searched a nearby wooded area and found four spent .308 caliber cartridge casings.
On Monday, a man walking his dog in the wooded area noticed a green Jeep partially submerged in a pond and alerted police. Police searched the vehicle and found two spent .308 cartridges, camouflage face paint, a black hooded sweatshirt, two empty rifle cases, and information concerning foreign embassies.
The vehicle was registered to E. Michael Frein, the suspect's father, who is a retired Army major. The father told police that he trained his son to shoot and added that his son "doesn't miss."
He also told police that he was missing two weapons, a .308 rifle with a scope and an AK-47.
Related Stories
ABC News Live