Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Timothy O’Connor was fatally shot Sunday night in the Honey Brook area of Chester County during a traffic stop.
Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered flags at all state facilities, public buildings and grounds across Pennsylvania to fly at half-staff to honor O’Connor.
“I have the privilege of interacting with the Pennsylvania State Police each and every day,” Shapiro said during a press briefing at Paoli Hospital, where O’Connor was taken. “These are good and honorable decent human beings. These are outstanding public servants. They put their lives on the line every single day — to protect us, to look after us, to ensure our wellbeing. That’s what Tim was doing tonight.”
What we know so far
State Police Commissioner Lt. Col. George Bivens said someone called 911 around 8:16 p.m. Sunday to report an “erratic driver.”
“He made a radio transmission indicating that he was stopping the vehicle and that is the last we heard from Cpl. O’Connor,” Bivens said. “Unfortunately, he did not respond to radio calls to check on him and a patrol responded immediately to check on his well-being and found a very bad situation.”
Bivens said the driver shot O’Connor “within seconds” of approaching the vehicle. He went down with a “fatal wound.”
“We also know the operator of that vehicle then exited his car, walked a short distance, and shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol,” Bivens said. “He was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said his team is conducting a joint investigation with the major case unit of the Pennsylvania State Police.
“We don’t have a lot of information right now, but what I can tell you is that the shooter is a 32-year-old male,” de Barrena-Sarobe said. “We have identified him though we’re not releasing his name and he is a Chester County resident. In the coming days we are going to be looking into his background and his motives.”
O’Connor leaves behind a wife, a daughter and his parents.