Family feared dead in shooting and fire

EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa. — Six members of a family — including three children — are feared dead, an official said Thursday, from a fire at a house in suburban Philadelphia that went up in flames as two police officers who responded to the scene were shot and injured.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer told reporters that some remains of a body and a rifle were recovered from the home in East Lansdowne, but he cautioned that the probe is in its early stages.

Stollsteimer said the shooter may have been inside the house when it was destroyed by fire Wednesday afternoon. He said the family residing there has the surname of Le but otherwise did not release names.

Lansdowne Officer David Schiazza, 54, who was wounded in the leg, was discharged Thursday afternoon, rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair and greeted by rows of fellow officers who stood at attention and saluted. He waved and flashed a thumbs-up sign through the passenger-side window as he was driven away.

The other wounded officer, 44-year-old John Meehan of the East Lansdowne department, required lengthy surgery to his arm and could be released by today, Stollsteimer said.

Both officers have more than two decades with their respective departments.

The fire did so much damage it may not ever be possible to determine how it started or who did the shooting, Stollsteimer said.

“If we ever determine it, it won’t be any time soon,” he said.

Firefighters remained on the scene Thursday morning as wisps of smoke were visible from the charred remains of the house. Heavy machinery moved into the neighborhood as investigators were examining the home.

Officers responded to the house in East Lansdowne around 3:45 p.m. after a 911 call reporting that an 11-yearold girl had been shot. Stollsteimer said he was not sure who called 911.

They immediately came under fire.

Officers from Upper Darby saved the lives of the two wounded men by dragging them out of danger, Stollsteimer said.

Authorities believe the home was set on fire by someone inside. Intense flames were initially seen rising from the roof and top floor of the three-story home before spreading to the lower levels, largely gutting the structure.

There was no more information about the child who was reported wounded.