A Pennsylvania State Police trooper has died after being shot in West Caln Township on Sunday night, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.<\/p>\n
Cpl. Timothy O’Connor was fatally shot after pulling over an erratic driver, officials said during a news conference early Monday morning. Shapiro said he spoke with O’Connor’s family after the shooting.<\/p>\n
“There are many questions, many of which will go unanswered,” Shapiro said at a news conference at Paoli Hospital early Monday morning. “But the one thing we absolutely know for certain is that their son, their husband, is a hero. He died protecting others, and that is a noble calling. That is something we’re profoundly grateful for.”<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said O’Connor was responding to a call for an erratic driver at around 8:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
About 10 minutes later, Bivens said, O’Connor pulled over the driver near Compass and Michael roads in West Caln Township, Chester County.<\/p>\n
As O’Connor approached the driver’s side of the car, he was fatally shot by the man inside the vehicle, Bivens said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
O’Connor leaves behind a wife and young daughter, Bivens said. O’Connor enlisted in the state police in 2010.<\/p>\n
“We lost a dear member of our family tonight, a hero,” Bivens said.<\/p>\n
The driver died by suicide after shooting O’Connor, Bivens said.<\/p>\n
Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said the driver is a 32-year-old man from Chester County, but his identity isn’t being released publicly at this time.<\/p>\n
The Chester County DA’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the fatal shooting.<\/p>\n
“Our community is shattered,” de Barrena-Sarobe said. “We grieve for the loss of Cpl. O’Connor, and we have the deepest condolences to his family. And unfortunately we just don’t have a lot of answers as to why this happened.”<\/p>\n
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