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Official: Pennsylvania Shooting Suspect Barricaded With Hostages In New Jersey; Tornado Ravage Parts Of Ohio And Indiana; Official: PA Shooting Suspect Barricaded With Hostages In NJ; State Department Arranging Evacuation Flight For U.S. Citizens; Soon: Police To Give Update On Deadly PA Shooting, NJ Hostage Situation. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 16, 2024 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:59:53]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Three people were shot to death in what officials are calling a domestic-related incident in Pennsylvania, before investigators say they were led on a manhunt, and now it is crossed state lines into New Jersey.

Here is the suspect, according to police 26-year-old Andre Gordon, he is considered armed and dangerous. All of this beginning in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, a Bucks County community, about 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia.

We've got team coverage of this breaking news, which is now zeroing in on the Trenton, New Jersey area as well. We'll get to former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey in a moment. But let's begin with CNN's Danny Freeman. You're very familiar with the Philadelphia area. But now we're talking about a manhunt that has now led to a barricade situation and reportedly involving hostages across state lines in New Jersey?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, just say the least this has been a terrifying morning in and around this area of Bucks County and now into New Jersey. And it's still, as you said, very much ongoing. Three people dead at this point, and as you said, reports now that not only is the suspect barricaded but also potentially holding hostages.

But let me tell you, Fred, a little bit about how this all started. This started just before 9:00 a.m. That's according to Falls Township Police Department. They initially got a call of a shooting in Levittown, Pennsylvania, again about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. Police then said that 26-year-old Andre Gordon shot and killed two people. Then, he went to a separate address in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and shot and killed a third person.

Then, he went to Dollar General in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. That's right on the border of Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Carjacked someone at Dollar General then drove over the line to Trenton.

Now, like you said, police said that Gordon knew all of the victims that he shot and killed, not the person that he carjacked just on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And police also said that they believe he used an assault rifle in these shootings.

Now, according to Jeff Dence, that's the chairman of the Falls Township board of supervisors. He is the one who gave us the information that this suspect is now barricaded in a building in Trenton, New Jersey with potential hostages.

The one good news though at this moment is that, that shelter in place, that was in place for hours and Falls Township, in that Pennsylvania community, that has been lifted, again, according to Mr. Dence.

But it's still tense, and you can tell that police are going to be untangling exactly what led up to this moment. And, of course, the ongoing situation in Trenton as we speak.

WHITFIELD: Now, earlier it was reported that this suspect, Andre Gordon was familiar with the Trenton, New Jersey area perhaps even that was a place of residence at one time. Do we know anything about these reported hostages? People that he knows? Is this a familiar location to him? Or is this happenstance?

FREEMAN: That there have been a few different things that police have said so far. The -- in the broadest sense, yes, he is familiar with the Trenton, New Jersey area. That's according to police. But in terms of who may be with him in this barricade situation, we really don't have much more information.

But I will say at one point, f Falls Township police said that he is known to have been homeless at times as well. So, it's unclear exactly what the ties are to Trenton.

But, again, as you've been watching your television. The choppers are over watching these increasing police presence in this area of Trenton. It's certainly an active scene right now.

WHITFIELD: Do we know anything more about the starting point. What transpired at these first two locations that would lead to the deaths of three people?

FREEMAN: That's a good question. And frankly, I think that's going to be exactly what police are investigating. Again, it was just before 9:00 a.m. And the initial phone call to police was for a shooting.

And officers responded. And they found very quickly to deceased people at that home.

We still don't know the genders. We still know the specific relationship, but they also realized that at that point, this -- the police, that Gordon, their suspect had already been driving a stolen vehicle.

That was how they were able to trace to the second block in Levittown in the same community, where there was that second shooting, and a third person was killed. And then, that was where this all began.

Again, police say that the suspect, Andre Gordon, knew all three of the victims that he shot and killed. So -- but again, I think the question as to what the relationship was? That is something we're still learning. And one thing I'll note, Fred is this area has -- had a tough couple of months.

There was a story that I covered up there of a beheading in that general area. This is a sleepy, pretty calm, suburban community. Just I can't imagine the fear that especially during that shelter, Sesame Place is nearby. They had to shut their doors.

That parade that you were speaking about for St. Patrick's Day also had to stop. Very unsettling for this area.

WHITFIELD: People have been through a lot.

FREEMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, Danny Freeman, thanks so much. Come back when you hear more. Appreciate it.

All right. And now, to a scene of devastation in Ohio and Indiana, after severe storms and tornadoes hit multiple communities, killing at least, three people.

[13:05:04]

One local official says it look -- looks like a bomb went off. And now, a massive cleanup and recovery operation is underway.

CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is there in the hard-hit community of Lakeview, Ohio. Ivan, tell us more about what you're seeing.

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Fredricka, after that powerful E.F.-3 tornado came through Lakeview here in Logan County, Ohio. As you mentioned, a lot of cleanup efforts are now underway in the background. We can hear chainsaws, crews have really been at it all day long, trying to clean up some of the debris that you can see behind me.

Now, this is just a glimpse, Fredricka, of all the damage that we're seeing across Lakeview. And you can really see just debris scattered everywhere. Feet away from me is a roof that belong to the home right behind me. A car here, this Honda CRV has been smashed in with its windows blown out. And this, this object here, you can't really make out what it is very well.

But the person who lives in this home told us that it's actually a dog house that flew out from a next-door neighbor that's now on their property. So, that cleanup process is ongoing.

But moments ago, we were able to step into the home here of Mary and Joe Baker. They told me that they were in their living room when they heard the tornado sirens go off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: As soon as a siren started going off, he started heading toward your bedroom.

MARY BAKER, TOOK SHELTER IN A CLOSET DURING THE TORNADO: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: OK.

BAKER: And this is the living room. This is the dining room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: At that point, they continue walking through the living room. She leads me into their main bedroom, and she shows me exactly in the home where they hid. They both, she says, her and her husband went into the closet of the home. They got their animals their pets and just sheltered in place. She said they were there for about 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

I asked her as well, Fredricka, you know, do you remember the last conversation that you had when you got into that closet? And she told me, she described her husband's hand, she prayed and she asked the Lord, she said, to just keep them safe, keep them sheltered, as well as the other people here in Lakeview as well.

And if you could see inside, from where we're standing. This is the room that we're talking about here. You can see a beam of wood smashed through the side of the wall. This roofs completely caved in. So, really their home has been severely damaged, but they're very grateful to still have each other.

And also, the fact that the community has really been coming together through all of this pain, all of this destruction, it's going to be a long road to rebuilding. We heard the governor of Ohio mentioned how the community is going to bounce back, a lot of that he mentioned has to do with the strength of the community here.

I also spoke with a contractor who is working for free to make sure that a lot of these roofs are waterproof. So, it's just one example of how the community is really coming together after such a painful experience.

WHITFIELD: Right. Lots of concerns. But a real close call for that family. I know they are counting their blessings.

Ivan Rodriguez, thank you so much.

All right. A man and his children were trapped in a Walmart during this devastating tornado that hit Indiana.

Jacob Hudson says people continue to shop until a Walmart employee rushed everyone towards the produce section. He hid with his family in a restroom until the tornado pass. And Jacob Hudson is here to tell us all about it.

My goodness, Jacob. I mean, what a moment. You go shopping and then the next thing you know you all are you know taking shelter. So, did you know the storm was coming? What happened while you were in that Walmart? JACOB HUDSON, TRAPPED INSIDE WALMART DURING TORNADO: Yes. Well, we had no idea the storm was going to be anything like that. Actually, we live about 10 minutes away. And when we left our home, it was actually sunny and nice out. Kids playing outside and everything.

And we got there -- we got to Walmart maybe around 7:30. By the time we got to you know, Winchester, the sky definitely turned and it was, you could see storms coming in. But we were just shopping like normal, and suddenly, everybody's phones in the store went off. And that was the tornado warning.

And we were almost done. So, we were actually going to just try to get home and then, employee said, hey, you guys need to go to the produce area, you know, storm is coming in. So, just take shelter for now.

So, some people stay in the produce area, some stayed in a office and he put us in a family restroom. And we were in there maybe 10 to 15 minutes, nothing was happening.

We open the door tried to get some air and just hear what was going on. And then, suddenly a worker rush, she said it's hitting here right now. And came in and dove in there with us. We hurry up and shut the door and within seconds you could just hear wind going crazy and things banging around outside. And, you know, we just hid there --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

HUDSON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, what are the ages of your kids? And while you're in this, you know, space, you know, and taking cover.

[13:10:03]

Are you holding your kids, are you hovering around them? Describe for me what you instinctively did.

HUDSON: Yes. That's basically what we did. We hunkered in the corner of the restroom, and even the worker, we wrapped our arms just all together. And I was on the phone with my daughter who was at home. And I was, you know, I was worried about her too. And we just said a Hail Mary, and my kids were screaming, crying, you know, we're just hunched down, we have no idea what's going on around us.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

HUDSON: Maybe 30 seconds, and then, everything just got very quiet. And we opened the door and there was -- that's where you can just see debris of in front of us, like (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So, when it got really quiet, what were you and all of the other -- you know, shoppers, employees that were in that space thinking?

Did you whisper anything to one another? Was it a matter of, you know, is it over? Do we -- do we go out? Just take me to that moment?

HUDSON: Yes. That's -- we actually the five of us in that restroom, you know, we waited just to make sure everything was fine. We wait for it quite a moment. And, you know, it was more just OK, it's over. Let's wait until the kids see we're fine. It's OK. It's fine. We made it. It's OK.

WHITFIELD: Were they crying?

HUDSON: Yes, they are crying, screaming. I mean, it's something you don't want to see, as a father. They were -- you can see to see the fear in their eyes. And you know, as a father, you don't want that. And there's nothing you can do to change that is a very, very scary moment.

WHITFIELD: And then, your impressions once the door, you know, open or once you all emerge from the safe space where you are.

HUDSON: I was just kind of shocked like at first, I just seen like trash and debris in front of us. And then, I kind of looked around the corner, and I see the doors of the Walmart actually, you know pushed in, and some workers quickly move that door. And after everything seemed to be calm outside, I took a look outside. And there it was just sheet metal, plywood, damaged cars, in the far end of the parking like I see a car was kind of turned over.

I mean, it was -- it was chaos. I mean, this was littered everywhere. I just --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And your daughter at home, how did she fare and everything?

HUDSON: She was clearly fine. Like I said, we live 10 minutes away. Luckily nothing happened here. She was -- she was in the -- or a bathtub, with a blanket over her.

I was trying to comfort her. I was literally more worried about her.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HUDSON: You know, warning first went off because like I said this took time until it hit, and you know, I'm worried about her, and then it ends up hitting us at the store.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Well, she did all the right things as did you and all the employees and other shoppers who were with you at that Walmart. We're so glad you're able to tell the story of your survival story.

Jacob Hudson, thank you so much.

HUDSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We're also seeing severe weather. And there remain concerns all along parts of the Gulf Coast where 14 million people are under threat from powerful storms. CNN's Elisa Raffa is here with me now.

OK. So, this is a crazy system, and it only seems to continue.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's the same one that dumped all of those tornadoes up in Ohio and Indiana. That damage that we were just looking at continues to work its way south and east.

I mean, look at all of the damage left behind all of the storm reports. We're talking hundreds of reports of hail, damaging winds, the tornado confirmation just keep coming in as we go through the next couple of days.

And I want to point out that March, tornadoes do happen. We just expect them more in the deep south, now, where they were in the upper Midwest.

Well, here is a look at radar right now. You can see we've got lots of lightning as storms start to fire up across Texas. That's the area that's under the bullseye. Today, you can see that yellow slight risk for large hail damaging winds and a few more tornadoes also possible again today. But the threatened really zeroes in on hail in parts of Texas today.

We're talking hail up to two inches in diameter. And you might be thinking, well, what does that look like? And we're talking about hail to the size of baseball, it's baseball sized hail, as we go through the day. That can honestly really cause injury to people. It could come crashing through windows, and you know, if that hit you, and hit you in the wrong spot, could really cause some injury.

So, you want to keep that in mind. Again, if you're in Texas if you've got a place to put your car inside of a garage, you'll want to do that as you go through the day today for that hail up to the size of baseballs.

This could also come with some flooding rain. We're talking about rain two inches per hour possible. So, could come with some heavy rain. But thankfully, Fred, the tornado threat is less than it was the other day.

But again, we're still you know, keeping an eye out for extremely long hail.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, baseball-sized hail. That's tremendous. I mean, it's frightening enough when it's ping pong size.

RAFFA: It caused injury.

WHITFIELD: So, that's a lot. All right. Thank you so much, Elisa. Appreciate it.

RAFFA: Thank you.

[13:14:37] WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come. The state department is working to evacuate American citizens from Haiti as gangs run rampant in that country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We continue with our breaking news. A suspect in a triple homicide in a Philadelphia suburb has barricaded himself with hostages in Trenton, New Jersey.

This after three people were shot to death in what officials are calling a domestic-related incident. The suspect is identified as 26- year-old Andre Gordon. He is considered armed and dangerous. And we are expecting a press conference with police shortly.

Meantime, CNN's Danny Freeman has been talking to his sources. What's the latest?

FREEMAN: Yes. So, we have a few more details about what unfolded after these shootings happened that got us to this point.

[13:20:02]

And a few more confirmations, unfortunately that police do believe at this point there are, in fact, hostages inside of that Trenton residence.

So, what we told you before is that initially all of this started just before 9:00 a.m. this morning. First, there were two people shot in Levittown, Pennsylvania. Then, the suspect, allegedly -- Mr. Gordon here, went to a second residence and shot and killed a third person.

Well, now we know that at around 11:30, just after that police were able to find the car that Mr. Gordon is alleged to have carjacked, driven into New Jersey, into Trenton. And that's where they -- or nearby, I should say is where they found him inside of this residence right now.

And now, this is according to Falls Township police. They do believe that Gordon is currently barricaded with hostages inside of a residence in Trenton, New Jersey. And I just want to say that because earlier we just heard that from a politician in the area. Local official. Now, police are confirming that to us.

At 12:25, the good news that I shared earlier, the shelter in place for that Pennsylvania community was lifted, but it's because police are now dealing with this very serious barricade and hostage situation in Trenton, New Jersey.

The other thing I'll say, Fred, is that you're correct, at 2:00 p.m., we learned there will be a press conference or there should be a press conference explaining what has been going on, what hopefully led up to this situation and just more information about the suspect.

WHITFIELD: Do we know anything about this Trenton, New Jersey location where, you know, he's allegedly barricaded along with hostages? Is that a residents' place of business? What do we know about the community or the location where this is happening?

FREEMAN: So, as far as I understand, this is a bit of a residential area within Trenton. Trenton is a city though. So, you know, there are businesses it seems nearby. But as far as the -- I'm going to read you exactly the information we have from police.

WHITFIELD: OK.

FREEMAN: What the Falls Township police told us is that it's believed, Gordon, like I said, knew all the victims that he shot earlier in the day, and that he is believed to be currently homeless and has ties to the Trenton, New Jersey area. So, that could, of course mean a lot.

Things, as you know, but that's kind of how police are framing it right now.

So, it doesn't seem like this is the location where he currently lives. But it may be a place that he has lived before or has some sort of ties to. But again, like I said, well, police believe that he knew the people that he shot and killed earlier today, allegedly.

We don't have any information about these hostages that police believe are inside this residence right now.

WHITFIELD: OK. When you learn more, come back. Thanks so much, Danny Freeman.

All right. Much more on this "BREAKING NEWS" right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:59]

All right. Welcome back to our "BREAKING NEWS". We're watching a situation that began as a reported fatal shooting outside of Philadelphia, then turned into a manhunt, which then led to a reported carjacking, then taking the investigation across the state lines into New Jersey. And now, the focus is on Trenton New Jersey, where it's believed the suspect in the fatal shootings may also be now barricaded inside what could be a residence here.

This is the view that we're seeing. Thanks to our affiliates. Our affiliate live shot there outside of Trenton, New Jersey, which could be a barricading situation involving the suspect, who is also, according to police claiming to hold hostages.

CNN's Danny Freeman is with me now. He's been with us all afternoon long as we've been watching these various developments.

Dan, let's talk about what we believe we've been able to see, these obvious police activity concentrated on this what appears to be a residence there in Trenton, New Jersey.

You see the ladder now going up. We were able to see some of these images earlier as it was happening. You bring us up to date now on -- based on the information that has been corroborated with investigators.

FREEMAN: Sure. Absolutely. And I should say, I believe those images and correct me if I'm wrong, those were not live, correct? Those were from moments ago?

WHITFIELD: Right now, we just saw moments ago.

FREEMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: But we watched the kind of live as it was happening.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: But we're bringing to our viewers, the tape version, because we also don't want to compromise the ongoing investigation.

FREEMAN: Right. Exactly. Just to illustrate to viewers that this is happening right now as we speak. And we don't want to, like you said give away any position that officers might be.

So, let's describe what we're seeing right here. So, all of this started early this morning, like I said, just before 9:00 a.m. Started with two shooting locations, three people shot and killed, then, a carjacking as you said, and then it took us over to New Jersey, Trenton which is where you are looking or what we've been seeing on our screens right now.

And you can see it it's a very, I would say typical residential area inside of Trenton. You see there, row homestyle homes with also duplexes. And what we've been watching Fred, to share with viewers is basically law enforcement officers decked out in tactical gear approach this one particular home at one point, even staging on what looks like the roof of the home and trying to what it looked like was free hostages from that particular house.

Now, we had heard earlier in this afternoon from a township supervisor that they feared the suspect that we've been talking about, Andre Gordon, 26-year-old was inside of that home, barricaded with hostages.

Well, the Falls Township Police Department, they then, confirmed to CNN as well. They believe that there are hostages in there, and now we've been seeing again, excuse me, again, these images of police dressed in that tactical gear approaching that home and at one point it seemed carefully taking someone out of that home that did not seem to be a suspect.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: After sizing the ladder, which would take them to the second floor of what appeared to be that residence.

[13:30:06] FREEMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: We watched as they then penetrated a window. And the next thing you know --

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Yes. Pretty dramatically too.

WHITFIELD: Very much so.

And then very shortly after, we saw them escorting a person out, but unclear who that person is, what the demeanor was. But --

FREEMAN: What I'll say, you know, obviously, you know, we have Chuck Ramsey and others who are law enforcement experts who've seen this number times.

But as reporters, we've seen this and the person that they we're taking out of that top-story window, they we're not handcuffing them. They were not treating them in what you would imagine if there was a -- there was someone suspected of committing a triple homicide.

They were not treating him that way. They we're treating him as though he potentially was a hostage and potentially a victim in this whole incident.

WHITFIELD: And now authorities have not indicated how many hostages. We're using the word plural. But do we know with specificity how many there may be?

FREEMAN: No, but that is their word. They, the law enforcement have been referring to them as hostages, plural.

But again, I don't -- I think it's safe to ask the question if authorities are 100 percent sure how many people may or may not be in that home.

And I'll note that the suspect, Andre Gordon, he's suspected to have been homeless, so it's also not 100 percent clear why he went to this specific home after he allegedly fled from these homicides in Pennsylvania.

WHITFIELD: Except to say that authorities did acknowledge that he had some familiarity with Trenton, New Jersey. We don't know whether he was once a resident there, whether he has family or friends there.

But for some reason, there is -- it's a comfort area potentially. And maybe this was intentional for him to leave the Falls Township and make his way to Trenton, New Jersey?

FREEMAN: Yes. They knew to look there it seemed when they realized that this car that had been carjacked by, allegedly, Mr. Gordon, it seemed they knew to look at Trenton.

And then ultimately, that is where they found the car. They were looking for a Honda CRV and they put that alert out for their own officers a little early in the morning after they learned of that carjacking and then, around 11:30, they were able to find it in this general area.

And that's where we've been seeing this scene unfold with this massive police presence in Trenton. Again, presumably trying to rescue some hostages.

WHITFIELD: Right. And look, we're -- we're trying to be careful with the responsibility of the access we have to those live images because it is an ongoing investigation.

If, indeed, there are a number of people who are being held against their will, and if there is television in that residence, we certainly don't want to give the alleged gunman the advantage by seeing play by play exactly what law enforcement is doing.

So that's why we are showing this on delay the access that they had to this house and escorting one person out by a window. But we can only share what authorities are allowing us to share in terms of information as well.

DANNY: And again, Fred, I should say that, hopefully, we should have a little bit more clarity as to what led up to this moment, what has happened in the intermediary, and how many hostages police may believe are inside of that home.

Because we're expecting a press conference at the top of the hour, at 2:00, from a number of different law enforcement agencies. Because, as you can tell, this has been a now multi-state effort by law enforcement and certainly a multi-township effort as well.

WHITFIELD: OK. I mean, this has been an incredible day for law enforcement, for various jurisdictions, beginning with the Falls Township outside of -- outside of I felt was alpha Pennsylvania and now making its way through various communities and now cross state lines into Trenton, New Jersey.

Danny Freeman, thanks so much. We're going to take a short break for now. You'll be back with this on the other side of the break.

[13:33:52]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:38:33]

WHITFIELD: All right, back to our breaking news. A hostage situation in New Jersey when it began hours ago as a triple killing in Pennsylvania.

CNN's Danny Freeman is back with me now.

So, Danny, this has been a very difficult investigation because it started out as a killing involving three people and a suspect who was just identified not long ago, maybe within the last hours as a 26 year.

And then it led to a manhunt only to cross state lines into New Jersey. And now we have this.

FREEMAN: Yes. And I just want to emphasize, again, my day job is covering Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area. And this area of Pennsylvania and Bucks County, about 30 miles north of Philly.

It is a fairly quiet suburban area. The police departments in those areas are pretty small. And you could tell how important and how quickly this particular situation escalated.

Because not only was the congressman in the area, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, he commented on it saying that he was monitoring the situation as it was unfolding.

The governor, Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania, also saying we're monitoring the situation and watching it closely.

We know that Pennsylvania State Police resources we're brought in as this was unfolding, as the search went on after the discovery of the three killings for the suspect, 26-year-old, Andre Gordon and the search for his vehicle.

And then, of course, as you noted, it has crossed state lines where we're seeing this intense police presence there in Trenton, New Jersey, as well.

[13:40:05]

So it really has ballooned, especially in an area, at least the Pennsylvania side where we really don't see large law enforcement presences like this on a daily basis.

WHITFIELD: So currently, it's reported that the suspect, the 27 -- 26- year-old Andre Gordon, maybe holed up, barricading inside at least from these visuals that we're seeing, aerial visuals thanks to our affiliate.

It looks like a residential area, but we haven't heard anything definitively from investigators.

But this person allegedly is barricaded. That there are hostages. We saw earlier -- as we are watching these aerial views, we saw police putting a ladder to a second level of the residence, escorting at least one person out.

What is being corroborated by investigators thus far? What do we know about this situation?

FREEMAN: So it seems the big question that I think a lot of the public had initially, which was what started all of this?

It seemed that police -- if they don't know the answer to what started all of this, they certainly know that the suspects, Andre Gordon, has a connection to at least the three people that he's accused of killing early on the day in Pennsylvania.

And he has ties to Trenton, New Jersey, where this barricade situation is unfolding right now. So one would think that investigators are getting more of a clue into what the motive behind this may be.

But that's the thing that we definitively know from police is that he knew those people, that he shot and allegedly killed, and that he has a reason to go into Trenton.

And that was -- just to describe the area a little bit more, that area of Bucks County, it's on the border of Pennsylvania -- or rather, the border of New Jersey and where he's alleged to have stolen the car, Morrisville, New Jersey, at a Dollar General.

It's right across the river, right across the Delaware from Trenton, New Jersey. So between that and between him having allegedly connections to that city, it makes sense that police would have been able to track him there, it seems fairly quickly.

But again, this hostage situation that we've been watching unfold basically this entire afternoon still nerve wracking has such a large police presence are swarming this home.

WHITFIELD: Investigators have acknowledged that he has a connection to Trenton, New Jersey, but we're still awaiting details. What kind of connection?

FREEMAN: Yes. Exactly. And the only hint that we have, at least what has been publicly stated on the record by -- and this is from Falls Township, Pennsylvania police -- is that Gordon has connections to Trenton, New Jersey, but is currently believed to be homeless.

But -- but really beyond that, we have very little information about the suspect.

And again, and initially, as you've been seeing on your television, we were given his mugshot -- or it's, I guess, his driver's license photo right there, just to put the alert out.

Because police were searching for him and his car after leaving behind a triple homicide. But in terms of why, specifically, he is in this particular home with, again, as police say, multiple hostages, that we don't know the answer to.

WHITFIELD: All right. There was a "stay in place" edict in Falls Township. That has since been lifted. Do we know if there's anything similar in this location?

FREEMAN: That's a good question. I am not 100 percent sure when it comes specifically to Trenton. It seems that they, at least by what we're seeing from this WPVI helicopter, our affiliates there, that it is contained to this home and police have been focusing on and surrounding this home. But again, the shelter-in-place was predominantly for this Falls

Township area in Pennsylvania. But a lot of surrounding areas took it very seriously as well.

Sesame Place, not too far. They closed their doors earlier today. A St. Patrick's Day parade also had to be postponed -- or I understand canceled because of this intense police activity.

But it seems, right now, well, I can tell you for sure, the Falls Township shelter-in-place, that was lifted, I believe, at around 12:30 or so. Yes, around 12:25, because the -- they are focusing in on this home right here.

You could just see, I mean, the police presence is -- it seems to be growing. Some tactical vehicles right there. But this, again, of course, as you've noted, was -- this is a tape delay. We're not showing you live images.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. We don't want to give any advantage to those who might be using any kind of live coverage of the police. And they're planning on trying to put an end to this safely.

All right, Danny Freeman, thank you so much. Stick around with this as you continue to do your reporting and digging.

[13:44:34]

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue with our breaking news. A suspect in a triple killing in a Philadelphia suburb has barricaded himself with hostages, reportedly, in Trenton, New Jersey.

This, after three people we're shot and killed in what officials are calling a domestic related incident.

The suspect is identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon. He is considered armed and dangerous. And we are expecting a press conference with police shortly. We'll bring that to you as it happens.

Also, we're learning the U.S. State Department is coordinating an evacuation flight for U.S. citizens trapped in Haiti as gang violence wreaks havoc on the Caribbean nation.

The agency released a bulletin from the U.S. embassy today telling residents with valid American passports where to go if they are able to get to the airport.

[13:50:05]

CNN's David Culver has more on the ground in Haiti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a tense, eerily quiet at times feeling here on the ground in Port-au-Prince, though that is often interrupted by rounds of gunfire. It gives you a sense of just how unpredictable things are here in Haiti's capital.

It comes amidst just what is a worsening crisis. And one, that the Haitian people have been struggling to deal with, and its government dysfunction and increasing gang control.

And many communities have actually started to barricade themselves in. Some have even taken on self-arming brigades to defend themselves and their neighborhoods from encroaching gang activity.

And the health care system, the food supply and food security, in particular, are certainly threatened.

If you look at the health care, the health care system itself, you've got some 80 percent of the hospitals in Port-au-Prince, according to one local hospital executive, that are now shutter. They've been ransacked, looted, they've had medical workers themselves who have been targeted.

And three of the hospitals that operate in the poorest of areas here in Port-au-Prince are among those that are closed. So it shows you that some of those who are in most need aren't going to get that treatment.

Food security is a huge concern here, especially with U.N. officials trying to figure out how to ramp up food security, secure food fine lines rather and try to get as much into this capital city as possible as gangs have obviously made getting around increasingly difficult.

And 90 percent of the food consumed in Haiti is imported. So it shows you how much of a crisis this could become if it's not resolved immediately. In fact, the U.N. estimates that about one million people are a step away from famine.

Getting into Port-au-Prince is, in and of itself, a huge challenge, particularly from outside the country. We spent six days in the Dominican Republic trying to figure out logistics, how to get on the ground here.

And it, of course, involves some bureaucratic red tape. But beyond that, just the logistics of making sure that where you are flying into, the landing zone that you are going to choose is secure enough. That could change by the hour.

In fact, helicopter pilots that we spoke with just a couple of days prior had a -- had a landing zone that they felt they we're confident going in at. Today, security officials had declared that to be gang- controlled. It shows you, again, just how unpredictable these situations can be.

Here's a sampling of our journey into Haiti's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to re-fly to Haiti. It's going to take us one hour to get there.

CULVER: The logistics of this trip alone have been incredibly challenging to say the least.

They're confirming with us something that we've been working on the entire day, and that is the landing zone, trying to figure out where we'll touch down. And it's a very dire situation in Port-au-Prince.

(GUNFIRE)

CULVER: Gunshots.

(GUNFIRE)

CULVER: Did you hear that? There it is.

Already hearing gunshots just a few seconds into stepping out of the car after arriving here in Port-au- Prince.

Our pilots tell us that they had been shot at previous trips. And yet, they still intend to continue to make these missions as often as they can. Not just to bring people in who, like us, want to cover this and bring this story to the world.

But more importantly, to bring those who are desperate to get out. It's been a lot of diplomats, in particular, that have left but others are on the list.

In fact, some of the pilots that we've spoken with say they have lists that are hundreds of people desperate to get out.

Of course, that is really a luxury. Many of the Haitians don't have that opportunity, nor can they even consider it.

So for them, it's about having to deal with what is a worsening situation with each passing day and hoping that the U.N. or other foreign forces that might be able to bring aid can do that as strategically and quickly as possible.

David Culver, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And back in this country, we're also following the latest on this breaking news unfolding now in New Jersey, where we're awaiting a press conference in neighboring Pennsylvania following what was a triple killing there. And now the focus of the investigation across state lines in Trenton, New Jersey.

[13:54:36]

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're standing by for a live press conference on this breaking news. A suspect in a triple killing in a Philadelphia suburb has reportedly now barricaded himself in a building there in Trenton, New Jersey.

And you're seeing, thanks to our affiliates there, live shots of the Trenton, New Jersey, area where investigators are now focusing on.

[13:59:49]

And all of this comes after three people were shot to death in what officials are calling a domestic-related incident in Pennsylvania. And then there was a reported carjacking that took place. And then the focus became here, across state lines into New Jersey.

And here's a photograph of the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon. He is considered armed and dangerous, according to police, and may have an assault rifle.