UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. Two people are dead and several injured after a series of events that started on Route 22 and ended in a Wawa parking lot.
Authorities are in the middle of a major shooting investigation in Upper Macungie Township and other parts of Lehigh County on Wednesday.
It began with a meeting on Route 22 between Route 309 and Cedar Crest Boulevard, district attorney Jim Martin said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
FULL VIDEO: Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and other officials discuss a shooting that killed two people, including the suspect.
Two vehicles ‘met’ at 10 p.m. before 5 a.m., and one of the drivers fired at the other vehicle, Martin said.
The woman driving the vehicle didn’t realize her car had been hit until she stopped at Wawa on Schantz Road, along Route 100, Martin said. She was not hurt.
The driver of the other vehicle, who authorities said fired the shot, then pulled into the Wawa parking lot and drove around the building, Martin said. He then shot a driver who was in a jeep and shot a tractor-trailer driver pumping out of his cab, Martin said.
The truck driver died of his injuries, Martin said.
The Jeep driver is being treated in hospital and his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, the prosecutor said.
The alleged gunman then took off on foot and ran down Route 100 for about a quarter of a mile before apparently committing suicide, Martin said. The police scene spread along Route 100 to the Brookside Children’s Early Education Center.
The Lehigh County coroner’s office declared the suspect dead.
Investigators are trying to find out a motive for the shootings.
“It seems that the three shootings I described are random and unrelated,” said Martin.
Martin mentioned a quick-thinking Wawa employee who helped protect others. The employee took out trash when he heard the gunshots, so he led two people into the parking lot and warned workers and customers inside, Martin said. Employees quickly closed the doors of the store and everyone inside sheltered in their place, Martin said.
A state police officer was also injured in the incident. He was hit by a vehicle while assisting traffic control, state police said. He was treated in hospital and has since been released.
Authorities have identified some of the individuals involved, but their names are not yet being released pending notification from their families, Martin said.
Investigators are centered around the vehicles in the parking lot, including the suspect’s car, as well as the jeep, truck, and other car.
The investigation is ongoing and very active, and agents are in other parts of Lehigh County trying to find out what happened and why.
“Serious police incident” at Wawa in Upper Macungie