Rural Pennsylvania man kills neighbor and wounds responding troopers in gunfire ambush, police say

A 61-year-old man shot and killed his neighbor in rural Pennsylvania Thursday and then ambushed first responders, wounding two state troopers and causing an EMT to crash a vehicle while firing dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, police said. The attacker was later killed by police.

The boyfriend of the woman who was killed, Lori Wasko, called 911 from their home near Thompson to report that shots had been fired, state police Col. Christopher Paris said. Police did not say why the suspect, identified as Carmine Faino, decided to kill 57-year-old Wasko outside her home and then open fire on the others.

Police said after shooting troopers Joseph Perechinsky and William Jenkins, Faino shot a police drone from the sky while sitting next to a propane tank they feared could be used as a bomb.

Perechinsky, with two chest wounds, commandeered a tractor-trailer that was driving by to block the roadway and prevent other motorists from driving into harm’s way.

He ordered the driver to "pull his semi rig across the roadway so that more people would not drive down that roadway and potentially be subjected to the fire,” Paris said.

Perechinsky was “still thinking at that point in time, after being shot twice in the chest, what can I do to secure this location? What can I do to make sure nobody else gets hurt?” Paris said.

Faino also fired at an SUV operated by a responding emergency worker, Paris said, and the man was injured when that vehicle veered off the roadway. He was being treated for injuries, Paris said late Thursday.

“I don’t want to speak to his motive leading up to this. I would say you can draw certain conclusions from the standpoint that we believe Faino shot our victim prior to our arrival and then from a position of tactical advantage fired dozens and dozens of rounds,” Paris said.

Investigators are looking into Faino's past, Paris said. He was Wasko's across-the-street neighbor, living several hundred yards (meters) away.

Both troopers, who had been wearing ballistic vests, were in stable condition with serious injuries Thursday night and “are very lucky to be alive,” Paris said.

The wounded Perechinsky applied a tourniquet to Jenkins before two other troopers were able to help rescue them, Paris said. The troopers were flown to hospitals for medical care.

Gov. Josh Shapiro called the two troopers heroes and said Perechinsky “saved lives."

“He acted decisively. He acted thoughtfully. And the work he did today exemplifies the absolute best of the Pennsylvania State Police,” Shapiro said.

Faino had a rifle and did not comply with demands, a state police statement said. He was “ultimately shot and killed during the incident,” police said.

The shooting happened about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of the borough of Thompson, some 163 miles (262 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

Erika Mills, who lives less than a mile from where the shootings took place, said it made for a terrifying day in a community that is usefully peaceful.

“This is a very very quiet town. There has never been anything comparable,” she said.

Police officers block the street leading to where two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed and shot Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

Police officers block the street leading to where two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed and shot Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

Police officers block the street leading to where two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed and shot Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

Police officers block the street leading to where two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed and shot Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

Police officers block the street leading to where two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed and shot Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

This image provided by WNEP shows police near the scene of a shooting where two state troopers were injured, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (WNEP via AP)

This image provided by WNEP shows police near the scene of a shooting where two state troopers were injured, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 near the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, Pa. (WNEP via AP)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)