A man released from jail on probation shot two dead and injured three others at his family’s home in Pennsylvania, police say.
Harrisburg police officers raced to the 1300 block of Liberty Street after they were alerted to a shooting around 4:45 a.m. on February 9.
An affidavit, seen by Newsweek, said officers were already in the area when a woman who was covered in blood asked them for help.
The statement added: “Agents of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and Harrisburg Police Officers were in the area of this location for an unrelated matter when a female later identified as Brittonie Meredith engaged the officers frantically for help.
“Brittonie Meredith was blood-covered and in distress (she was later determined to have been shot multiple times).”
When officers entered the property, they discovered the bodies of Meredith Greene, 29, and Tyler Thames.
Upon further investigation of the home, officers located two girls, aged 6 and 7, who had suffered stab wounds.
The affidavit stated the girls told police their uncle Gregory Greene Jr., 31, had stabbed them. They added he also had a gun with him.
Agent Maurice Edwards then spotted a man leaving the rear side door of 1345 Liberty Street and observed a Dodge Charger leave the area westbound on Miller Street.
The affidavit continued: “This vehicle was later observed and a pursuit ensued with multiple police agencies involved. The vehicle crashed and the driver was taken into custody.
“Agent Edwards stated the vehicle he saw fleeing the scene on Miller Street was the same vehicle that crashed.
The affidavit said: “The driver was identified as Gregory Greene Jr. Greene Jr was interviewed in relation to this incident, he admitted to being the sole occupant of the vehicle and admitted to stealing the vehicle earlier in the morning this date.”
Meredith and the two girls were transported to a Harrisburg hospital where they were treated for their injuries.
Greene Jr. was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of criminal homicide, one count of burglary and one count of possession of a prohibited firearm.
He had been prohibited from possessing a firearm due to an earlier conviction of the corruption of minors on July 5, 2010.
Meredith had asked for a protection from abuse order on January 9, after she alleged Greene Jr. had assaulted her. This was later granted, forcing him out of the home.
Greene Jr. was ordered to surrender his keys to the home as well as any firearms. He was arrested days later after he violated the order by showing up to the home and spent a month in jail before he was released on probation on February 2.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo told NBC affiliate WGAL: “Clearly, this is an awful set of crimes. Two lives were lost and so many people impacted, including children impacted by this awful set of crimes. It’s unspeakable.”
Newsweek has contacted the Harrisburg Bureau of Police for comment.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings nationwide, 75 people in Pennsylvania have died by gunshot since January 1.
Last week a man in Texas shot and killed several members of his own family, according to local police.
Corsicana police found a man and a woman had suffered fatal gunshot wounds as well as two other victims who were flown to a Dallas area hospital.
Detectives later tracked the suspect and located his vehicle. When Corsicana SWAT team members approached the vehicle, they found the driver had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
He was taken to the Navarro Regional Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
Police Handout/ Getty