Four people are now dead following Thursday night’s shootings in a restaurant and at a home in State College.
State College Police Chief John Gardner said at a press briefing that 19-year-old Steven Beachy died on Friday after being shot in the torso by Jordan Witmer, of Benner Township, inside P.J. Harrigan’s Bar and Grill, 1450 S. Atherton St., next to the Ramada Hotel.
Gardner discussed the timeline of the shootings, but said police have not yet determined what motivated the 21-year-old Witmer to shoot and kill three people and critically injure another before shooting himself in the head.
Witmer and 21-year-old Nicole Abrino, who arrived together at about 8:30 p.m. were seated at the P.J. Harrigan’s bar on the opposite side from Steven Beachy and his 61-year-old father, Dean Beachy, of Millersburg, Ohio. At one point, Witmer got up and walked over to the other side of the bar near the Beachys, then pulled out a small-caliber, semi-automatic handgun and opened fire, Gardner said.
Dean Beachy was shot in the head and died at the scene. Steven Beachy was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center then flown by helicopter to UPMC Altoona, where he died from his injuries.
Abrino was shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center, then transported by helicopter to a Pittsburgh area hospital. She was in critical condition early Friday morning, but Gardner said he did not have information on her current condition on Friday afternoon. He also said he did not yet know the exact nature of the relationship between Witmer and Abrino and did not know which of the victims was shot first.
It does not appear Witmer knew the Beachys. Dean Beachy was an auctioneer and the father and son were in the area for a horse auction on Friday in Centre Hall, according to the Wooster (Ohio) Daily Record.
‘We’re trying to make sense of what occurred there,’ Gardner said. ‘We’re interested in seeing what precipitated or led up to this event.’
The restaurant has a streaming video feed but it does not have the ability to record, Gardner said.
After the shooting at P.J. Harrigan’s, Witmer fled in his car. Police arrived on the scene at 10:15 p.m. and about a half hour later, while trying to locate Witmer, received a dispatch report of a crash at the intersection of Waupelani Drive and Tussey Lane. Officers arrived to find Witmer’s Mazda unoccupied and crashed into a fence.
At 11:09 p.m., police were dispatched to 748 Tussey Lane for a report of a burglary in progress with gunshots fired.
Gardner said that Witmer shot a sliding glass door to gain entry to the Tussey Lane home. When police arrived they found resident George McCormick, 83, dead from a gunshot wound to the head and Witmer dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. McCormick’s wife, Joann, was unharmed after locking herself in another room and calling 911.
‘Subsequent investigation revealed that there was no relationship between the McCormicks and Jordan Witmer,’ Gardner said. ‘It is believed at this time that he randomly chose their house after he crashed his vehicle.’
Gardner said there were two employees and at least one other customer in P.J. Harrigan’s at the time of the incident. They were not injured and have been interviewed by police.
Witmer had a carry permit and had no criminal record, according to Gardner. No other weapons were found in his car or home. Witmer served in the U.S. Army, but Gardner said he was not sure if he was still on active duty.
Looking back on Thursday night’s events, Gardner said that in hindsight he wishes he would have communicated to the public sooner that the threat had ended. It was a little over an hour after Witmer was found dead when Gardner briefed media.
‘We knew there was no more threat to the public and I wish I could go back, in hindsight, and release that information sooner so the public wouldn’t still be in a heightened state,’ he said.
He added that as soon as officers arrived on the scene — in addition to rendering aid, assessing threats, gathering information and searching for the suspect — they immediately sent out information about the incident and suspect to all Centre Region law enforcement and state police.
Gardner also responded to criticism of Penn State for not sending out an alert to the campus community.
‘There were no immediate threats to Penn State or its students. It was over before we could announce it or release further information,’ he said.
‘It was a State College incident. It was not a university incident. It’s not subject to notification. It was off campus and it was far enough away from campus that there was no direct threat we determined to Penn State or its students.’
In his 29 years with State College police, Gardner said he could not recall another incident involving multiple gunshot victims across multiple locations.
‘Obviously we’re not immune from it, like anywhere else. It’s something we have to be cognizant of,’ he said. ‘Relatively speaking State College is one of the safest places in America. That’s by no small measure due to the people who work here, who live here… That’s one of the reasons they want to live here, because it is a safe community. Having said that I also understand we’re not immune from this type of thing happening.’
Gardner praised the cooperative efforts of local law enforcement and other responders in a crisis situation.
State College police were assisted by Ferguson Township, Patton Township and Penn State police, Centre LifeLink EMS and Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers.
‘All first responders are deeply saddened by these tragic events. Our hearts go out to all the victims and their families,’ Gardner said.
The investigation is continuing and anyone who may have information is asked to the State College Police Department at (814) 234-7150, by email or submitting an anonymous tip through the department’s website.
P.J. Harrigan’s is closed until Monday, ‘out of respect to those affected by the recent tragedy,’ according to a sign posted on the restaurant’s door.
‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families,’ the sign reads.
