East Lansdowne Fire: Remains of victims, suspected gunman recovered from wreckage of house fire
EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa. - The remains of a Delaware County family and a suspected gunman have been recovered from the charred wreckage of a home that burst into flames two days ago.
Authorities spent Thursday and part of Friday sifting through the charred wreckage of an East Lansdowne home that burned to the ground Wednesday afternoon.
The remains of three people were found in the debris on Thursday, along with a rifle authorities believe was used by a shooter to fire at responding police officers.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Friday that the remains of three more people were found, and they believe everyone is now accounted for.
Their official cause of death won’t be known for some time, but investigators believe the victims were shot by another family member before the house was set on fire.
Officers from the East Lansdowne Police Department were called to the house on Wednesday afternoon for reports of a child shot and were immediately fired upon.
Investigators say police came under fire while responding to the home, resulting in two officers being struck by gunfire and dragged to safety by fellow officers.
Officer David Schizza, 54, and Officer John Meehan, 44, were both taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital for treatment of non-fatal gunshot wounds.
Schizza, a 22-year member of the Lansdowne Police Department, was released from the hospital Thursday after being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg.
Meehan, also a 22-year veteran of the East Lansdowne Police Department, was struck in the left arm and required "lengthy surgery" and treatment, officials said.
The house belonged to the Le family, according to investigators, and it's believed that three adults and three children were inside the house during the blaze.
The shooter, identified Friday as Canh Le, is believed to have lived at the home with his parents, brother, sister-in-law and their three children. The DA still can’t say what triggered the shooting but, records show Le served community service for a 2006 charge of making terroristic threats.
The victims are identified by family and friends as 40-year-old Xuong Le, his wife, 37-year-old Britni McLaughlin Le and their children, NaTalya, 17, NaKayla, 13 and Xavier, 10.
The children were students in the William Penn School District. Pennsylvania Senator Timothy Kearney called the deadly fire a "tragedy."
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The remains have been turned over to the Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office where they will determine their causes of death.
"The medical examiner is going to determine how they died: If they died by gunfire or if they died by smoke inhalation and burns," Stollsteimer said,
With the search for remains concluded, investigators will turn the property over to East Lansdowne Township to demolish what's left of the charred home.
"I've seen these kids walk to and from school, I've seen these kids at our community events," Mayor Majovie Bland said. "East Lansdowne is in pain, and I don't know how we're going to heal, but we have to begin that process now that we've recovered those babies and their parents."
As the recovery crews leave the neighborhood the pain is palpable.
Friends of the family are also in grief. Including fellow classmates in the William Penn School District. A local dance studio posted on social media paying tribute to one of the daughters.
Wiping back tears, 13-year-old Faheem Ford came to drop balloons for his classmate NaKayla. "When I found out it was her, I couldn’t believe it. She was such a nice person" said Ford.
Friend Gianna Milano described her emotions, saying, "I just wanted to be in the place where it happened because I just wanted to feel it. It’s just a very disheartening and sick thing that happened here."
Left behind were the sole survivors who also lived in the home, the parents of not only victims but, the shooter.
"They literally lost everything they have they’ve lost everybody they loved and lost their home" said Stollsteimer.
Le Family (Courtesy: McLaughlin Family)
A statement from the McLaughlin Family reads:
"Britni and Xuoug were a happily married couple for 17 years, loving and devoted parents to their three children, their extended family, and their beloved friends. Their three children all excelled in academics, the arts, and sports. Our hearts are broken and we vow to cherish the memories of our loved ones and we will work to ensure that their legacies live on. We would like to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your thoughts, prayers, and condolences during this difficult time. We kindly ask that our privacy be respected in this matter as we are still processing this significant loss."