The 37-year-old man fatally shot by police Wednesday in Lower Saucon Township fired a gun before police returned fire on him, according to authorities.
Lower Saucon police officers were called to the 2400 block of Applebutter Road to do a welfare check on a man who had discharged a gun, according to a news release from state police, which is the lead investigator in the incident.
The man, whose identity has not been released as of Thursday morning, discharged his firearm, and a Lower Saucon officer returned fire, but no one was hit, the release states. A state police special emergency response team then arrived and surrounded the home. One of the SERT team members “engaged” the man and shot him outside the home.
The man was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill, where he died from his injuries. No one else was injured.
The incident prompted a shelter-in-place order for people in the area. Applebutter Road was closed for several hours while police were responding.
Check back later for updates.