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Man names 8 Williamsport cops in federal lawsuit claiming use of excessive force

Williamsport Sun Gazette WILLIAMSPORT—Eight Williamsport Bureau of Police are named in a federal lawsuit filed by a city man asserting his constitutional rights were violated and he was a victim of excessive use of force during an incident two years ago that began at his home. In an amended complaint with the U.S. Middle District Court, Earl Sampson has a complaint against Officers Nicholas Carrita, Richard Hofford, William Badger, Gino Caschera, Nikita Bonnell, Brandon Wheeler, Andrew Stevens, Brian McGee and Williamsport area law enforcement officers John/Jane Doe one and two. A ...

Building used to store public works equipment explodes; no injuries reported

MANHEIM, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a building housing public works equipment in a Pennsylvania township destroyed the structure and heavily damaged some nearby homes, but no injuries were reported. Officials in Lancaster County’s Rapho Township said six employees were coming to work but one smelled gas while entering and didn’t switch on the light or do anything that would cause a blast. Emergency responders were called at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday but an explosion occurred soon afterward. Supervisor Jere Swarr said the building was used to store five trucks, graders and other ...

Pa. governor backs off $100M schools program in budget

HARRISBURG (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday backed off his insistence on money for a new private-school funding program after it became a sticking point in a budget stalemate between Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. Shapiro’s shift in position came as state government plowed through its fifth day without full spending authority, and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives prepared to respond to a budget deal between Shapiro and Republicans who control the state Senate. The holdup in the politically divided Legislature was primarily over ...

Five dead in Philadelphia-area shooting

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 40-year-old man with a rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest fatally shot four men in a Philadelphia neighborhood and chased and killed a fifth man inside a house, police said. A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the Monday night violence that made the working-class area of Kingsessing the site of the nation’s worst violence around the July 4 holiday. The gunman fired at police as they chased him for blocks, police said. When they caught up, he surrendered in an alley, Police Commissioner Danielle ...

Chase ends with state police fatally shooting driver

HOMER CITY (AP) — State police shot and killed a driver following a chase in one part of western Pennsylvania while in another area regional police shot and killed a man they said was armed with a machete. A trooper in Indiana County tried to stop a vehicle in Center Township on Sunday night shortly before midnight, but the driver fled, state police said in a statement. A chase continued for several miles in the township and the borough of Homer City, and attempts by troopers to use hollow spike strips to safely stop the vehicle were unsuccessful. One or more troopers shot the man at ...

Man drowns after rescuing children swimming at an eastern Pa. state park

QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man drowned after rescuing two children who got into trouble while swimming at an eastern Pennsylvania state park, authorities said. The Bucks County coroner’s office said Marvin Alexan Fernandez Chicas, 37, “disappeared in the water” after rescuing the children who were swimming at Nockamixon State Park on Thursday evening. The coroner’s office said Friday that the cause of his death had been confirmed as drowning following an autopsy and the manner of death appeared to be accidental. Coroner Meredith Buck said in a statement that the office is ...