COOLBAUGH TWP., Pa. – Police are investigating a series of shootings in a Poconos community on Monday evening.
Four people were injured after multiple shootings at multiple locations in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County.
“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what we have. There are many answers that I don’t know, or can’t provide at the moment for investigative purposes,” said Chris Wagner, chief of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police. at a press conference late Monday.
The first gunshots rang out just after 5 pm. According to a Wagner press release, multiple gunshots were fired at a vehicle in the Route 196 area near the Tobyhanna Shopping Center.
“When officers started responding to that location in close succession and in a very short period of time, we got other calls about additional shootings in the township,” Wagner said.
While police were investigating, they heard rapid gunfire in the area and were then called to 5330 Ledgewood Drive, where two victims were found. A 47-year-old woman had been shot in the back and a 19-year-old man had been shot in the arm, Wagner said. Both wounds are believed to have been caused by a high speed lap.
At the same time, police received another call and found a 20-year-old man in a vehicle near the intersection of Kings Way and Route 196, with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head, Wagner said.
Police then received an additional report of a car accident at the intersection of Kings Way and Campbell Drive. There they found a 20-year-old man in the vehicle who had been shot in the leg in another residence within the Pocono Farms East development.
Wagner said the victims’ circumstances are unknown, but he does know that the woman who was shot in the back was flown to a trauma center, he said.
Wagner said police are interviewing persons of interest in the case, and authorities are asking for warrants to search homes and vehicles. No charges have yet been filed, he said during the press conference.
“We are looking for more people, I cannot give the exact number at the moment,” Wagner said.
There were multiple witnesses who are also being interviewed, he said.
According to the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management, police are assuming the shootings are related.
Police asked the local community to take shelter on the spot and expect increased police activity in the area of the Route 196 corridor, the development of Pocono Country Place and the development of Pocono Farms East.
Police lifted the recommendation early Tuesday morning, according to the County Office of Emergency Management, and said the investigation is underway, but police do not believe the public is in immediate danger.
Residents must report any suspicious activity or information relevant to the shootings by calling the Pocono Mountain Regional Police at 570-895-2400.
Police have lifted the shelter at the behest of Coolbaugh Township. pic.twitter.com/VOcLyXDWv2
– Monroe County OEM (@MonroeCtyOEM) January 19, 2021