UPDATE 10:30 p.m. ET: "A gunman blasted shots through the wall of a Pennsylvania municipal building during a meeting on Monday and then barged into the meeting room and continued firing, killing three people, before he was tackled by a local official and shot with his own gun, a witness said," according to the Associated Press.
Pocono Record reporter Chris Reber said it was West End Open Space Commission Executive Director Bernie Kozen who "bearhugged" the shooter and took him down.
"He shot (the shooter) with his own gun," Reber recalled.
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SAYLORSBURG, Pa. (TheBlaze/AP) -- A shooting during a meeting at a northeastern Pennsylvania municipal building has left two people dead.
Monroe County emergency management director Guy Miller says the shooting happened Monday evening during Ross Township's regular monthly meeting. He says the gunman has been captured and is in state police custody.
"The Pocono Record says one of its reporters was in the township building and a gunman armed with a pistol with a scope shot through a wall into the meeting, which was being held about 85 miles north of Philadelphia," the Associated Press reports.
The reporter, identified as Chris Reber, says a local official bear-hugged the shooter and shot him with his own gun.
Reber claims he ran out after the shooting began Monday night while everyone else at the meeting dropped to the floor. He says a man was shot after he pushed aside a woman who had run to a door. He says a local official took down the shooter.
State police in Lehighton confirm the gunman has been captured but don't have details.
Three other people who were reportedly injured in the shooting have been flown to area hospitals and were in unknown condition, Miller said.
Emergency crews respond to a reported shooting at the Ross Township building that left two people dead, Monday, Aug. 5, 2013 in Saylorsburg, Pa. Credit: AP
Emergency crews respond to a reported shooting at the Ross Township building, Monday, Aug. 5, 2013 in Saylorsburg, Pa. Credit: AP
Emergency crews respond to a reported shooting at the Ross Township building that left two people dead, Monday, Aug. 5, 2013 in Saylorsburg, Pa. Monroe County emergency management director Guy Miller says the shooting happened Monday evening during Ross Township's regular monthly meeting. He says the gunman has been captured and is in state police custody. Credit: AP
It is unclear why the shooter would need a scope on a pistol. It is also hard to understand how a scope would have helped him shoot through a wall at the meeting.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
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