By Jillian Kramer and Rob Tornoe
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — A motorist who was pulled over after driving erratically on a Chester County roadway opened fire on a Pennsylvania state trooper Sunday night, killing him, authorities said. Then, they said, the motorist turned his gun on himself and ended his life.
Cpl. Timothy J. O’Connor Jr. stopped the driver shortly before 8:30 p.m. near Compass Road and Michael Road in West Caln Township, said Pennsylvania State Police acting Commissioner Lt. Col. George Bivens. As O’Connor approached the driver’s side door, he said, the driver shot him.
Moments later, Bivens said, the driver walked away from his vehicle and shot himself with a semiautomatic gun.
By Monday afternoon, authorities had identified the shooter as Jesse Nathan Elks, 32, of Honey Brook in Chester County.
O’Connor called in the stop before he approached the vehicle, said Bivens. “That was the last we heard” from him, he said. Troopers who arrived to provide backup discovered the two men.
Paramedics rushed O’Connor to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting unfolded along a quiet stretch of roadway, where farm fields and wooded lots line the two-lane roads. By late Sunday night, flashing police lights washed the dark roadside in red and blue as troopers closed off the area and investigators began piecing together what had happened.
At a news conference early Monday morning, Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said little was known about Elks’ motive. A man who answered Elks’ father’s phone Monday afternoon declined to speak with a reporter.
The district attorney said his office would work with state police to investigate the killing. “We are just starting our investigation as we speak,” he said.
O’Connor was a 16-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police. He is survived by his wife, Casey, and a young daughter. “Our community is shattered,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who also spoke at the news conference, called O’Connor “a hero” who “died protecting others, and that is a noble calling. That is something we’re profoundly grateful for.”
A procession carried O’Connor’s body Monday morning from the hospital to a coroner’s office in West Chester, where an autopsy will be performed.
Shapiro ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across Pennsylvania in O’Connor’s honor.
Officials across the state offered condolences Monday after O’Connor’s death.
State Attorney General Dave Sunday said the killing was “a tragic reminder that no traffic stop is ever routine,” while House Democratic leaders said they were “eternally grateful” to law enforcement officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
Police departments across Pennsylvania also issued statements mourning O’Connor’s death. In online posts, agencies offered condolences to his family and fellow troopers and described his killing as a profound loss for the law enforcement community.
O’Connor served the Commonwealth with honor, courage, and a steadfast commitment to protecting others,” the Lancaster Police Department wrote.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said in a statement Monday that O’Connor “lived his life with honor, bravery, and integrity.”
“We will never allow his memory to fade because heroes are eternal,” the association said. “His wife, Casey, and young daughter will forever be part of our family. Please join us in praying for Corporal O’Connor and his beautiful family.”
This article, originally published at 9:30 a.m. ET, has been updated with additional information about the incident.
(Inquirer staff reporter Max Marin contributed to this article.)
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