Stand Off in a residential area? Why? He had a gun. He was threatening harm. Authorities should have shot him before 7 hrs. Why do we play with people like this? You throw down your gun or get shot. The end.

I think Tara should be hired as Police Chief and should have run the show.

A domestic dispute ended with a referral to a caseworker.... When will these damn cops take domestic issues more seriously.... I know first hand how utter blasé they are this endangering the welfare of everyone....

With the available facts, it doesn't sound likely that the gunman shot through his floor and hit that poor woman.

How does one aim at an upstairs apartment and hit the downstairs apartment?

Regardless of our opinions and how one might have thought this should have been handled, an innocent woman is dead and another has put herself in a domestic situation which certainly is nottthe first time this nut has shown abuse towards her. Why these woman continue to have lack of confidence to leave is beyond my understanding.

How tragic for the neighbors and community....so glad to see that the guy's second amendment rights weren't taken away!

Caroline unfortunately the courts don't always take domestic abuse seriously. Many file domestic abuse charges just to "get back" at one another. The police can only enforce what the courts have passed regarding that particular case. Police don't make the laws they enforce them. If you want tougher laws you need to make changes at the legislative level.

I was in lock down in a building across the way and saw a lot of what happebed. It was the worst experience. The police and SWAT did an amazing job. Knowing the area and buildings, had they continued to shoot at the man many more lives would have been lost. I'm heart broken for the loss if that poor innocent woman. Our community will never be the same.

Sorry to see the loss of life. That is very tragic!

I have a feeling they may have shot her. They said he had a shotgun in the last article. Wouldnt you be able to tell if she was shot by a rifle or handgun? Regardless of who shot her, very sad :(

Sounds like the perp was in the parking lot or a least near ground level when the fire fight started that would explain the elderly woman getting hit in the background .

Isn't Warminster the same police department that surrounded a house in a residential neighborhood a few years ago and open fire in all directions hitting neighboring houses and almost shooting each other.

Not sure by whom?
The way the warminster police handled themselves with the 16 yr old and the bb gun (I think the riddled the neighborhood with about 50 bullets that day), I am surprised only one person was killed!

Good job Warminster Police! When will they have their awards ceremony?

Ah the fall of suburbia.

7 hours of talk to a crazy man, 90 year old looses life, why wasn't that man shot after he shot the first round at police??? Lets just jeopardize more civilians & police for another lunatic with a gun!

Being a victim of serious Domestic Assult;
If the woman has the courage to go through the court system...
The courts do make the decision whether or not to grant a PFA.
But just 2 Police Stations away. With a PFA in my hand... The police officers told me that they weren't going to enforce a PFA bc "they" were taught to stay out of it.
Domestic Violence is a very hard thing to admit to...
Whether emotional or physical.
Google A Woman's Place & they can help you with a number of things...
From counseling, filing a PFA, or even advocating for you at a trial.
Do me & everyone else a favor and NEVER use a PFA as a payback because unfortunately it creates circumstances like this.
To the police officers: I know it's hard when you see many people using a Domestic Abuse Accusation against each other with no basis. But, there are us out there & you have the ability to save our lives...
Whether from a gunman or just knowing that you're there to protect us...
Giving us strength to leave and making not quite so scary when we do

You can never go back.
I'm sorry to the family for their loss
And the families that had to experience this

All I can say is EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION in the police department
They need better training when it comes to Domestic Violence &
they are the officials that are supposed to enforce a PFA

It is so sad that this innocent woman who had survived many things was killed minding her own business.
I don't imagine those findings of what or who killed this woman will be forth coming to fast unless it is the perp. Yes there have been a fw incidents where officers fired shots and hit everything but what they were aiming at. Example--The hold up of Sams club in Willow Grove a few years back. there were over 100 shots fired and one of the robbers actualy shot himself. I have a friend that lived in one of those houses and his home was hit with 25 shots.Luckily his daughter was not sitting in her favorite chair that morning as she got ready for school as a bullet went right through the head of the chair. Another addition is that out of all of the officers that day only 2 did not hae Marksman badges on....Nevertheless this is something that should not happen. Police really should not have to deal with this kind of idiot because it should not happen. It is ALWAYS THE INNOCENT that loose. People that work, play and live here. es othrs have arguments and they figure it out without guns and without hurting anyone. My prayers go out to this womans family for their loss and to all of those in that quiet community!

I live at Jefferson & hearing this morning about the woman that was killed is beyond tragic. So sorry for this woman who was just minding her business & living her life, so sorry for her family. She & her family are in my thoughts & prayers.

If you don't, or won't, like the way police handle such things; YOU DO IT! Don't call 9-1-1 then! You go in and get the guy! Remember this; whatever you think about the outcome. When evil strikes, you expect someone to take care of "it" FOR YOU! I ask everyone critical of the outcome; what would you have done? When you're walking up a "residential neighborhood" and you start taking fire; what would you do? That means one thing - some evil person is going to, or wants to, kill you! You have no idea what that is like until that "pucker factor" kicks in to your brain!

There are sheep and there are sheep dogs. When evil happens most people run like frightened sheep! Thank God that He gave us sheep dogs that protect and run to the evil like our law enforcement, firefighters and EMS!

Tired of Hypocrisy,

With all due respect, I don't give a crap what he did or even if he had a machine gun and a bazooka! The police should not have unloaded 50 plus rounds into the neighborhood! Period. It should have taken two shots - if they determined that the kid needed to be shot. That was an example of what happens when untrained suburban police are put into a situation they are not capable of handling.

We will see what they learned from that incident, if anything, when we get the final tally on the number of bullets they fired into this apartment complex. Maybe they will find that the guy with the shotgun actually pointed it at the floor and fired it and the woman was directly under him and the floor was made out of cardboard.

I would not bet on it though... I am guessing 50 to 100 rounds, but hoping for less than 20 (considering they did not hit thier target).

It amazes me the conclusions people can jump to from reading such a brief article. So the police don't take domestics seriously, they endangered civilian lives, they didn't handle this right - all that knowledge from this little article?

I know that I've only had to deal with the police twice in my life, thankfully. Both times, I was grateful that they were there. Maybe hold off on the judgement until you have some real facts.

And Tara - wake up.

The woman could have possibly been killed due to an officer's bullet? That is a little disturbing. They should not have been shooting unless they knew it was at the target. That's so sad to hear, and my thoughts go out to her friends and family.
Overall I think Warminster PD did a decent job with this situation, but this is sad to hear.

I didn't mention anything about LAPD or a paper delivery girl. I'm just staying my opinion a d saying that the Warminster PD did a decent job because the situation could have been much worse.

Ut OH. A cop might have shot and killed a innocent person…..DA Heckler to the rescue.

If police only shot 4 times - then they did learn from their past mistake - even if they never admitted that shooting 56 times to take down an easy target was a mistake.

This same man was @ Wal-Mart yesterday @ street & Jacksonville rd. & asked me if I needed a ride home, his demeanor completely changed when I said, "no,I'm good, thanks". I was on my phone with my boyfriend lastnight telling him what was going on as I live in the shitty apartments of bucks Landing a.k.a. da vill & I referred to him as the cowboy dude from Walmart & when I woke up & read my email, saw his picture, I was like no effing way!!! That's the dude WHO asked me if I needed a ride yesterday!!!!! Thank God for my street smarts. I can't believe I had a run-in with the homicidal murderer!!!

I agree with James Kephart Jr. The Warminster P.D. should have handled the situation with more proper conduct. On the other hand, Warminster isn't the same as it was ten years ago. I used to be a resident of Philly & seen their p.d. handle the situations way better than what happened lastnight. The problem here is Warminster P.D. hasn't had enough of the experience needed to handle a situation like this. Another issue is Warminster itself, mainly the apartment complexes have gotten worse. I, myself live in Bucks Landing. When I moved here I was appalled that this apartment complex reminded me of Philly w/the guns, the violence, & the drugs... I call it "Little Philly" . Over time, the Warminster P.D. will gain more experience & be better educated as I do know Magloclen Law Enforcement trains these officers as well as other states such as N.J. & Maryland, etc. These problems will be addressed. I commend Warminster P.D. for only one innocent victim dying, when with less experience as other police departments of major cities have, yes, they could have killed more than one innocent law-abiding citizen. The fact is they didn't. & Yes, we don't know all of the details or facts of this incident to be jumping to ANY conclusions... I feel so bad for the victim, my heart goes out to her family & friends. Yes this should have been handled with proper conduct, but most people don't realize that these situations don't just occur in big cities, they also happen in the suburbs as well.

I also would like to add in that the gun the shooter was using had to be within a certain range in order to hit the woman. If you ask me, I would believe she was killed with a rifle. They also said she died from wounds which is plural. Which might make me believe that the 50+ shots fired by the W.P.D., did hit her.

Just love all the arm chair cops out there! I guess you all have criminal justice degrees and would have known just what to do! Right!The police have the legal right to return fire when fired upon! You don't think they wanted to stop this guy as soon as possible! No one knew how many or types of guns this guy had or how much ammunition! This could have been catastrophic! I knew as soon as I heard that poor woman was killed in the crossfire that the police would be blamed before an investigation even started!How about blaming the guy who started all of this! He's the one who didn't care about anyone's safety! Don't worry there will be no cover up for all you conspiracy theorists out there!The District Attorney's office will take over the case. Unfortunately,in volatile situations like this, accidents can happen. After all the police are human!Yes, there are rogue cops out there, but they are few. Most police officers work very hard and long hours and will never get rich doing it, but they love what they do! So to all of you who hold grudges against cops cause you have received a ticket at one time or another or worse. Grow up! Laws are put in place to protect all of us! Remember, someday you or your loved ones may need the aid of a police officer! Surely, you will have respect for them then!!!!!! From a proud wife of a police officer of 33 years and still serving!

Sean Sullivan never pulled a gun on police, The "gun" was a BB gun. The "gun" had NOT ONE , NO, NOT ONE, fingerprint on it?? HmmMmmMM?? WHY??? 2 eye witnesses saw Sean running with his Arms and Hands above his head?? Running away from Police... HmmMmMmm??? WHY??? Both eye witnesses statements were NEVER reported to the DA office. Warminster township investigators willing LEFT OUT TWO EYE WITNESSES reports ?? Hmmmm why???? 5 different people over heard what happened in the back yard but yet EVERY SINGLE one of them was discredited....HmmmMmM ?? why?? Sean Sullivan was shot from behind, and while he was down on the ground, hence the bullet entering his lower right back and found in his heart ( up and to the left)...??? How?? 2006: Police report, Sean was "charging" police?? I thought he was shot in the chest ? "Center Mass"..HmmMmMm.......After the shooting, ALL officer who were invovled in the shooting at 438 chestnut st, were placed in ONE room and gave a JOINT statement to the police Chief and then were told to hand in their reports TOGETHER to the "investigators.".??? The "outside" investigation that was performed.... that same "Investigator" just so happened to be the Warminster Polices Defense Attorney?? Hmmmmm?? why??? Why did John Blanchard try to settle 4 times??? Oh he's a Judge now??? Ohhhh ;o).........Warminster Police have more holes then Swiss Cheese ?!
"Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely"
Who holds the Police accountable??
We The People!
See Ya Soon ;)

I used to be in law enforcement many years ago in another life and what I don't understand is why the police didn't use tear gas and who was the officer in charge with all the departments that showed up to help other officers ?

All I've got to say here is dont the apartments have cement floors separating them? I think regardless of whose bullet hit this poor woman it's s tragedy yes it's the idiots fault for thinking that waving a shot gun around and holding his "wife" hostage was a good idea but its also on our officers to aim accurately and have a clear shot prior to actually firing that being said I know an officer is NOT allowed to speak about any police business public ally and that includes their spouses and thus forum but then again you can be anonymous in here right? Facebook however is a whole other ball game and I've seen as if today 20 posts by officers that were there and/of their wives telling us all the story. 1 shut up the more defensive you seem the guiltier you look 2 until forensics comes back and tells us the public whose bullet ended that poor woman's life and how many bullets recklessly entered her body none of us can take what you say as truth! Just so you know that woman was a good friend of mines gramma so even if it somehow gets swept under a rug bet your ass if it was police fire it will be public knowledge

Annonymous,

I am an expert in not being a dumbass... And I do recognize the value of most police officers most of the time. That does not excuse the bad behavior we see from officers all over the country. And I did suggest that it appears as though they may have handled this well.

You say laws are put into place to protect all of us - ask the two women shot by the LAPD how protected they felt while they were dodging dozens of bullets meant for someone else (as if opening fire on the guy they were looking for would also have been okay...)

Eric S,

My intent was not to compare the two incidents. I was responding to Mrs. Anonymous who suggested that I am making statements because I "received a ticket at one time or another or worse" and I asked another poster, who thought the police "did a decent job with this situation" (which they may have - not sure how you could make that statement until all of the facts are out though) how she felt about what the LAPD officers did.

I recognize that I should now stop so I will...

Don't know who shot her? c'mon. The Warminster police killed her. No bullet in her body? No kidding, it's in a wall somewhere in her room. It's the wall with a big hole and a bullet in it. How many times do you hear a cop has been shot in a stand off and the perp is running away. It seems to me that the Warminster police (and all police) need some shooting practice to save their own lives and the lives of their accidental shooting victims. This poor woman was gunned down by very poor marksmanship.

anonymous,

Officer Schmalz is being railroaded on a technicality! Did the police union abandon him? Or do they just disagree with me?

Everyone is a critic... how many of you go to work each day with the potential to be SHOT at? Have you ever tried to fire and hit a target under stress? I don't care how practiced you are, it is difficult. Regardless of who the actual bullet was from, the suspect is responsible for this woman's death because he created the situation.

I heard the bullet came thru her front door. There was no way it was fired by the gunman. What the police need is more target practice and safety classes.
If my 14 year old son can shoot a rifle and hit a deer at long range, why can't these trained officers learn how to aim and shoot at the target?

I've got news for everybody! When this investigation concludes,if the bullet that killed the woman came from a policeman's gun, ( it very well may have),the perp who caused this mess will be charged in some way with her death! His criminal actions are what resulted in her getting shot! Their is nothing criminal in the acts of the police!They were just doing their jobs! Unfortunately, in the commision of a crime an innocent bystander was killed! Accidents happen! Everyone here is human and we all make mistakes! But it's easy for some to spout off when the mistakes that they make at their jobs don't involve potential risk to others! Such as doctors,nurses, emt's and law enforcement! The family will have the right to sue the Warminster Police Dept. in civil court! So there will be more money taken out of the hands of the taxpayer! All because of one crazy nut,who has changed the lives of many forever! Remember who is really at fault here!

Cops killed the woman, I would bet.. But it would have never happen without the idiot in the apartment. He should be charged with her murder.

Generally, when reading the news and comments I find it interesting how driving under the influence and killing your friends, speeding killing/injuring an innocent person and other things that tend to occur when one is breaking the law are often categorized as "mistakes" yet in situations where a person dies or is injured by someone in a service capacity while they are assisting or protecting the public (Police Officer, EMT,etc.,) people are quick to assign blame. It is crime what has happened to this 89 year old woman, however, the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the person who drank and drugged all day and decided to shoot at the police. This could have been much worse.

Unless the guy shot through the floor I dont see how he could hit someone downstairs.If he was shooting out the window at the cops,and the cops were shooting back,maybe an officer thought it was the man they were shooting at,that is why there are no explanation as to how she got shot,but my bet is the bullet came from an officers gun.

Clearly it came from the police officers weapons its been way too long forensics has been back since that afternoon with the results of whose shot killed this lady ~ stop blaming JUST the idiot that caused the whole scene like I said before the more you defend the guiltier you look ~ I am pretty sure at this point it was your husband that fired into this woman and thats why you just cant shut up ~ you say it was an accident but seriously you have pinned the blame solely on the moron that held his girlfriend hostage. Officers should not fire their weapons without clear access to the person they are shooting at thats a fact so when they shot into the apartment downstairs they clearly need help with their aim. You keep talking about all the courses and classes your husband has taken so I again I remind you that officers and their spouses are not allowed to speak about cases publicly yet you just keep going and going which again is why I feel that the gunshot that killed this woman was fired by your husband that you have been protecting since about 3 minutes after the patch listed the story. Of course the officers were not aiming directly at her of course it was not intentional no one said it was intentional all anyone wants is for the police to stand up and take responsibility for their mistake its been way to long to keep dragging this out!!!

VERY WELL SAID LEVITTOWN LIFER. AMEN.

Even if someone is guilty and running from the police, that in no way justifies or vindicates a reckless officer or officers who brazenly fire at that person when there is no imminent threat. Especially not over fifty shots at a man who is running away from them. Police officers are entrusted with a great responsibility to protect us all. They are trained to deal with pressurized, dangerous situations and expected to utilize sound judgement if such an incident arises. They blew it and took a man away from his family, forever. The distinction of guilt or innocence is irrelevant, they killed a man who shouldn't have died and certainly didn't deserve to.

& now the same police department has killed another person, unjustifiably.

#you're

I'm not claiming to be an expert or to knowing all of the facts. I'm not here to give a statement. I'm expressing my opinion from what I've seen, read, and heard. Search the internet and come to your own conclusions, I was simply saying what I've perceived on an article posted on a local website. Geez.

For everyone that is so up in arms that people are upset that police fired into an occupied apartment complex - and for those who continue to bark about people not being there - I was...My husband and I (5 months pregnant) live here within ear shot/view of the shooters apartment. We were eventually evacuated (7 hours after the start of this event) but prior to the one hour heads up automated phone call, we were informed of nothing other than the news and our friends who live in the complex but housed some swat/snipers in their apartment. The police claimed they evacuated the people - but they didn't - again - until 7 hours later. The news reported that residents still in the building and surrounding building were told by police to stay inside, away from doors and windows, lights off and get on the ground. We weren't. The news told us that. A few of our direct neighbors didn't even know that something was happening. If it weren't for a phone call from a friend - and the ability to hear the helicopter and megaphone messages, we'd have been clueless. A shot could have easily entered our apartment as it did the woman who was unfortunately killed. A little information would have been nice - as well as a little restraint on behalf of the officers. I do NOT hate cops - I RESPECT them and their intense jobs...but when your job is to serve and protect - I do not think you can justify shooting into a building occupied by the same people you are trying to protect.

And now for more breaking news in Warminster...During the week of March 25, Pennsylvania Dog Wardens will be canvassing homes in the Warminster Township area. All dogs must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. Violators can be cited with a maximum fine of $300 per violation plus court fees. DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENTER YOUR PREMISES
UNLESS THEY HAVE A SEARCH WARRANT. Local PD have nothing better to do than harass lawbiding citizens. I have license and vaccinations for my pets but will not be inviting the dog warden in for tea! They can check with the Bucks County Treasurer who issued these licenses. They do not need to bang at my door. Just do something more useful to keep the township safe. There is no rabies epidemic among the canine population here so it isn't a public health issue either. Go chase the rabid racoons out there.

I apologize I was unclear. The megaphones were not informing us of anything. They were directed at the shooter. They started off simply with directions on how he could give himself up - like "come downstairs and open the door. Once you open the door, put your hands in the air." They later turned into "Andrew, answer your phone. We aren't going anywhere" and "we just want to make sure you are ok" along with the original megaphone message. The only interaction our neighbors had with the police (apart from the ones stationed in a friend's apartment - which had hours into it became our main source of information as she works for the complex) was when they came outside to see what was going on. They were told to get back inside. Those shouting the directions didn't even identify themselves as police, and a few had to be told a few times to get back inside. Even when we got the evac call after midnight, it only stated that we would be evacuated. One neighbor was very upset as he was awaken by the police to be evacuated and they wouldn't even tell him anything. He thought there was a weather issue or a gas leak or something and was upset he couldn't take his animals. It wasn't until he was in the armored car with us that he was filled in on what was happening...by us. Also - the shooter was not roaming the complex. He was in his apartment and was passed out most of the night. In conclusion - no - the residents were not informed.