9/7/16
by News Department on 09/07/16Reports of shots fired in Tamaqua...
County and state police converged on Tamaqua within minutes following what was reported as gunfire at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday morning, with one or two masked people, an incident that presumably meant two possible active shooters were on the loose.
Tamaqua Superintendent Raymond J. Kinder said safety was a priority and schools were immediately placed on lock down to restrict access to and from the buildings in order to provide the safest environment possible.
Officer Doug Springer of the Tamaqua police reported that the 90 minute search included the Wabash Creek tunnel, a dark, mostly hidden cavern that winds 3/4 of a mile beneath the town.
The suspect was reported to be last seen near an embankment off Mahanoy and Cherry streets, an area leading to the rear of Tamaqua Public Library on South Railroad Street.
Police were planning to review video surveillance footage from the residential neighborhood to learn more about what transpired. Details about what actually happened are still sketchy but authorities believe the shooting was not random and possibly drug-related due to information obtained by police, however no shell casings or signs of struggle were found.
