Posted on 12/23/2017 12:33:15 AM PST by surroundedbyblue
Hours after three shootings resulted in a trooper shot and the suspect killed, police have released additional details about the shooter.
Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico identified the shooter as 51-year-old Ahmed Aminamin El-Mofty at a news conference late Friday night.
Though details about El-Mofty are being unraveled by investigators, Marsico said it "certainly appears that there's no doubt" he was targeting police officers.
Marsico said El-Mofty initially fired "several shots" at a police car belonging to a Capitol City police officer at 4:10 p.m. in the area of 3rd and Walnut streets. One shot came "very close" to hitting the officer, but the officer was able to escape uninjured.
El-Mofty then fired several shots at a Pennsylvania State Police trooper about 30 minutes after the initial shooting.
"She was struck by one of those shots, but is doing well," Marsico said, adding the trooper is expected to make a full recovery.
Marsico added the trooper was chased by El-Mofty to the Allison Hill section of the city to the area of 17th and Mulberry Streets, where he opened fire at officers with two handguns.
Officers returned fire, shooting and killing El-Mofty. A device was found next to El-Mofty, but Marsico said it ended up being "of no import."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the investigation. Marsico said EL-Mofty has ties to the East and West shore. El-Mofty also has ties to the Middle East, and traveled there recently, according to Marsico.
Marsico declined to comment on if Friday's shootings were an act of terrorism, saying the motive was still under investigation.
"Obviously, we don't want people to run wild in speculation," he said.
Marsico also declined to say whether or not El-Mofty was known to officers prior to Friday's shootings.
Marsico commended responding agencies, and said the incident could have been "tragic" given that the shots were fired at police cars in rush hour traffic, and then into a residential neighborhood.
"The great work of the Pennsylvania State Police and the Harrisburg Police Department ended this threat rapidly this afternoon," Marsico said.
Marsico and investigators are asking anyone who may have any information about El-Mofty to call 911.
View Comments (6) PENNSYLVANIA REAL-TIME NEWS Gunfire jars downtown patrons: 'The intersection . . . was just flooded with cops'
Updated 2:20 AM; Posted Dec 22, 10:53 PM
Crowds were filling Harrisburg's Second Street restaurants within a few hours after the bizarre, open-air shootings in the city's center. 2 20 shares By Charles Thompsoncthompson@pennlive.com The red and the green of Christmas lights gave way to the blue and red of scrambling police cars through downtown Harrisburg for a tense half-hour or so Friday.
That was when the unofficial glide from the last Friday before the holiday was jarringly broken by the sharp report of gunshots.
First down the street.
Then seemingly right here.
And then halfway across town.
For several panicky minutes after about 4:10 p.m., no one really knew what was going on. A Capitol Police squad car sat along Third Street, its driver's side window shot out.
Pedestrians coming on to the scene warily crept along the sidewalks, not sure if they should be on the streets or not.
A short while later, many of the police officers who had streamed into center city for the initial shootings broke off to new calls on Mulberry Street, running toward the danger again.
That's where the shooter - still unidentified at this writing - was stopped, shot dead.
To say it was unsettling, as midstaters converged on downtown Harrisburg for Christmas parties, live band throwdowns, or just to walk the dog, was the understatement of the year.
"The intersection... was just flooded with cops," said Katie Pates, an employee at Little Amps at the corner of Second and State, right between the first two shooting scenes.
"It was just shocking, seeing all the rifles being pulled out, and no idea what's going on. You just want to know."
Down the street and around the corner, kind of backing up on the mayhem, at Der Harrisburg Maennerchor social club, some patrons reported being told to get off the streets and shelter inside by responding police.
"People started coming in, and they were like: 'Oh my God. What's going on in the street?'" said club member Erik Veronikis, a former PennLive and Patriot-News reporter. "It just seemed like people were on edge not knowing what was going on, and they weren't getting ready to leave anytime soon."
There was some good luck, of course.
On the Friday before Christmas, the Capitol and adjacent state offices were largely a ghost town by 4 p.m., so the "rush hour" traffic of workaday employees and residents was a fraction of its normal volume.
And, it was a little early for those ready for evening celebrations to hit the streets.
By 8:00 p.m. or so, parts of Harrisburg still seemed to be on lock down, especially those areas where shots had been fired, as police stood sentry, waiting for evidence collection teams to be done.
But other parts of the town appeared to have recaptured its Friday night, pre-holiday vibe.
Twenty-somethings were packed into Little Amps, right between the two shooting scenes on State Street, rocking to the sounds of Concrete Beach and other live bands.
The Cork & Fork Restaurant across Second Street was filled, and busy enough that the manager didn't want to take time to speak with a reporter.
Somebody even had the nerve to park a McLaren - basically a street-legal Formula One car that starts at nearly $200,000 - right out there on Second Street.
But that is, after all, life in the city.
Tragedy happens, stability returns, and, within a couple of red light cycles, everything seems normal again.
"Most people that are here did not know what had happened," said Wende Kantner, manager of The Firehouse restaurant on Second Street, just around the corner from the initial gunplay on State Street.
Kantner's restaurant was hosting a private Christmas party on its upper floor at the time. Small knots of people, both there and at Little Amps, were perched outside smoking cigarettes.
"It doesn't seem like anybody's been scared off or anything like that," said John Saurman, the guitarist for one of the bands playing at Little Amps.
"It is inconvenient for parking," one of his friends weighed in.
Others hadn't picked up on the news until they were asked about the events of the afternoon by a reporter.
Emily Craft, a York County womman out for dinner with her husband, their daughter and her husband and their baby, was decidely not freaked out when she learned why the police presence was so heavy.
"Shots are fired every day, everywhere, in every town," Craft said. "So, it is what it is."
Down the block, by the river, and up the block, by the state Capitol, police still had shooting scenes cordoned for evidence-gathering, even as the bizarre incident's final act was playing out on Mulberry Street.
Officers there couldn't estimate when their work would be done.
View Comments (2) PENNSYLVANIA REAL-TIME NEWS Following Harrisburg shooting spree, mayor praises police response
Updated Dec 22, 10:05 PM; Posted Dec 22, 9:30 PM 12 Gallery: Multiple shootings in downtown Harrisburg, including one near capitol 2 1 share By Daniel Simmons-Ritchiesimmons-ritchie@pennlive.com Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse praised police for their swift response on Friday night following a shooting spree by a lone gunman.
In a statement released at 9 p.m., city spokeswoman Joyce Davis said the mayor believed the incidents could have been far worse if Harrisburg police hadn't intervened so quickly.
"He absolutely commends the men and women of the Harrisburg police force for their exceptional bravery in responding to tonight's attack in Harrisburg," Davis said. "This situation could have been far more serious and could have involved far more injury and loss of life had it not been for their very capable response to the situation."
No bystanders were injured in the shooting but a police officer was slightly injured, according to authorities. The gunman, whose identity remains unknown, is dead.
Joyce added that Mayor Papenfuse also believed that the Harrisburg Police deserved praise for their swift co-ordination with other responding agencies.
"They worked collaboratively with the Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies and they clearly demonstrated exceptional courage and capability," Davis said. "Not only are the police officers to be commended but also the senior leadership, including Chief Thomas Carter
"Shots are fired every day, everywhere, in every town," Craft said. "So, it is what it is."
Um, Emily, I'm not sure if you've traveled or lived anywhere else but there are most certainly NOT shots being fired every day, everywhere.
Stop listening to demagogues who claim the US is Kosovo.
The Left is working hard to make it so. But yes, I strongly agree with you.
And regarding motive, just with what we have here, I’m going to say #SuddenJihadSyndrome.
I didn't realize that bigamy was legal i Pennsylvania
Ad, what's a "womman?"
God damned muslim scum. Again.
Whew ... Alley acting in a bar continues ...
Still clueless on the motive. I blame Trump or Global Warming.
Aloha Snackbar
Not Kodevo but during hunting season.....
The additional husband belongs to the daughter....that’s why they used commas
Mom and Dad at dinner with daughter and son in law and the young couples baby hence a granddaughter
Here is an blog post from Harrisburg:
https://harrisburg100.blog/2017/12/22/islamic-terrorist-targets-police-in-harrisburg-pa/
“Ahmed Aminamin El-Mofty is an Egyptian who traveled to the Middle East recently.”
“It may be coincidental that the shootout occurred across the street from the Harrisburg Masjid.”
Note: Masjid = Mosque.
Look at the single comment on the blog post>
Allahu Akbar
23 Dec 2017 at 2:50 am
Just because he have a Muslim name did you do reaseech and know him to be Muslim? What do the Masjid have to do with anything? You may be bringing harm to the Masjid with you assuming ass and lack of knowledge…
Note: El-Mofty?
Google translate (Arabic-English): Mofty = Mufti
Meaning of Mufti?
a Muslim jurist expert in the religious law.
(in the Ottoman Empire) a deputy of the chief Muslim legal adviser to the Sultan.
DEAD muzzie scum...
Wow, yet another mere coincidence
Article asks an interesting question: if this act was related to....
So, it would suggest that in Harrisburg there is possibly a terrorist cell active?
Small Town Upset, Outraged Over Sale Of Former Youth Facility To Islamic School Consulting Firm
The company says it’s headquartered in an apartment in Newark, New Jersey. It employees one person and generates $41 million in annual revenue.
Okaaaaay. And PA apparently has absolutely no curiosity about the company.
Pennsylvania has a problem. If it’s confined to a single cell, I’d be amazed.
NBC10 Investigators: Homegrown Terrorism in Pennsylvania and NJ
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