Mass Shooting at Meeting: 'It's the World We Live in Now,' South Whitehall Official Says

Even before the mass shooting at a Ross Township municipal meeting Monday night, South Whitehall Township officials were concerned that a similar incident could happen at one of their meetings.

It nearly did 15 years ago when a man in a dispute with South Whitehall over a tax bill shot himself to death in front of then-Township Manager Gerald Gasda in Gasda's office.

That shooting prompted township officials to strengthen security in the administration building. But with Monday's tragedy, Township Manager Jon Hammer said, "It would be a good point to reevaluate our current procedures to make sure they are appropriate, not just at township meetings, but for the entire municipal complex." 

The Ross Township shooting is a "horrific tragedy," Hammer said. "Unfortunately, it's the reality of the world we live in right now."

And it's in part why South Whitehall has an armed police officer on duty at all public meetings, he said. 

"It's something we think about at public meetings, not only for elected officials but the public who attend the meetings," Hammer said.

"We are very aware of the potential dangers that could exist," he added. 
Three people died Monday when a gunman opened fire at a municipal meeting in Ross Township near Saylorsburg in the southern Poconos.

Dave Fleetwood, a supervisor from neighboring Chestnuthill Township, and two residents were killed, according to the Pocono Record.

The alleged shooter—self-described "junk collector" Rockne Newell, 59—has been fighting with township officials for years over his property, where human feces were found in buckets in 2009, according to the Pocono Record.

The gunman began shooting into the meeting room at 7:15 p.m. while 15-18 people were inside, WFMZ reports.

Pocono Record Reporter Chris Reber described hearing 10 shots and seeing plaster fly off the walls.

Some people hid behind a table. Reber was able to crawl out a side door and hid behind an SUV, where he watched as Newell went out to a car to get a second gun.

A township official and a resident tackled Newell when he came back into the building. Newell was arraigned Tuesday morning and is in jail.

Two people died at the scene; a third died after being flown to St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill, according to the Express Times.