DUBOIS – The Pennsylvania State Police have confirmed the suspected gunman is dead after shooting a trooper early Thursday afternoon on Cemetery Hill Road just outside of Brockway.
Further, Trooper Bradley Wilson was shot and critically wounded while he and another trooper were attempting to serve a search warrant due to suspected drug activity at the residence. When approaching the residence someone who was inside fired shots at them from a window.
Wilson was struck in the neck and torso area. He was transported from the scene, at which point law enforcement became engaged in a standoff. Wilson, a 24-year veteran of the DuBois barracks, remains in critical condition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, state police officials said.
State police officials have identified the suspect as Kenneth Lees Sr., 60, who shot and killed himself after an overnight police standoff that lasted approximately 12 hours. He was found dead around 1 a.m. Friday at the Cemetery Hill Road residence, according to state police officials.
State police officials attempted to communicate with Lees during the standoff but were unsuccessful. As a result, state police went inside the residence, where they found Lees’ body. Lees, state police officials said, was the only person inside the residence.
Additionally, state police officials confirmed they have arrested Lees’ son – Kenneth Lees II – overnight, though those charges weren’t immediately clear. State police officials said Lees II led police on a chase overnight that lasted about 15-20 miles by vehicle before trying to flee on foot. Another trooper, state police officials, said was slightly injured when he fell during the chase.
According to documents obtained by WJAC-TV News, investigators had monitored the Cemetery Hill Road residence for at least the past two weeks. Investigators had found garbage bags that contained items used to make methamphetamine.
Investigators returned to the residence very early Thursday and found new garbage bags with more drug-related items and marijuana residue. The warrant was signed by a judge around 1 p.m. Thursday.
The investigation is continuing at this time.
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