Remains of 6 family members recovered from East Lansdowne home after fire; unclear what prompted shooting
Six members of the Le family, including suspected gunman Canh Le, were presumed dead after Wednesday's shooting and house fire in the Delaware County borough.
Police have recovered what they believe are the remains of six members of the Le family, whom they think were inside an East Lansdowne house when it was set on fire Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities believe that Canh Le, who is suspected of shooting at police officers and his family members before setting the home on fire, is among the dead. It's not clear what triggered the incident.
Two veteran police officers were wounded by gunfire while responding to a report that a girl had been shot at the home. One officer was released from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on Thursday; the second was sent home Friday afternoon.
Here is what we know about the East Lansdowne fire, shooting of police officers, and the family members who died.
Deaths of the Le family an ‘unspeakable tragedy,’ and the relative who killed them, ‘evil,’ DA says
As law enforcement pulled the final remains of a young family from the ashes of their home on Friday morning, the weight of what was lost began to set in across a tight-knit Delaware County community.
“We are hurting. We are in pain,” said East Lansdowne Mayor Majovie Bland.
“This is a horrible, unspeakable tragedy,” said Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County’s district attorney.
'That was a house, a family'
Gianna Milano stopped by Lewis Avenue in East Lansdowne on Friday afternoon out of a sense of respect for the Le family.
Milano said she was nearby on Baltimore Pike on Wednesday when she saw unmarked police vehicles “going 100 miles per hour.”
She felt a kind of dread that, instinctually, told her something was horribly wrong. And when she followed a plume of smoke to the burning home, her fears were confirmed.
Second wounded police officer released from the hospital
With a cast wrapped around his arm, John Meehan, the East Lansdowne police officer first to respond to the incident at the Le home, was released from the Penn Presbyterian hospital Friday afternoon.
Meehan, 54, was shot in the left arm, a wound that required surgery.
Like his fellow officer David Schiazza of Lansdowne, released the day before, Meehan was greeted by a large, multi-agency law enforcement presence. Both men are 22-year veterans of their respective forces.
Officials say it's unclear what triggered suspected gunman Canh Le
Law enforcement officials say it’s still not clear what triggered 43-year-old Canh Le, who is suspected of shooting and killing five members of his family Wednesday afternoon before turning the gun on two responding police officers and lighting the family’s longtime home on fire.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said that, through conversations with Canh’s parents, Huong and Chin Le, investigators believe Canh first shot his 13-year-old niece after an argument. The parents fled the home in fear, he said, and called the police for help. Other members of the family — including their other son, his wife, and their three children — did not make it out alive.
“They don’t really have any idea. He just went haywire,” Stollsteimer said.
'We are hurting. We are in pain,' says East Lansdowne mayor
As law enforcement pulled the final remains of the Le family from the ash and rubble left of their East Lansdowne home, the reality of the tragedy had begun to set in across a tight-knit community.
“We are hurting. We are in pain,” said East Lansdowne Mayor Majovie Bland.
Among the victims were all five members from one family: Xuong Le, his wife Britni McLaughlin Le, and their three children: Natayla, 17, Nakayla, 13, and Xavier, 10.
Remains of 6 family members recovered from East Lansdowne home
Crime scene investigators and the Delaware County Medical Examiner left Lewis Avenue around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, as law enforcement had discovered what they presume to be the remains of all six members of the Le family that they believe were inside when the house was set on fire.
Neighbors and well wishers stopped by periodically, with a small memorial placed in memory of Nakayla, Natayla and Xavier Le, the children of Xuong and Britni McLaughlin Le.
Family friends of Xuong Le stopped by with flowers, but declined to comment, other than to say that they are all struggling with the unimaginable loss.
William Penn School District still reeling from two 'senseless tragedies' this week
William Penn School District superintendent Eric Becoats said he remains in shock over two “senseless tragedies” this week, which included the presumed deaths of six people after a shooting and fire in East Lansdowne and the shooting death of a student in Darby.
“The death of a child for any reason pains me greatly,” Becoats said in a message to the school district community. “To lose one of our students to gun violence and then one of our families in this tragic event leaves me heartbroken.”
At least six members of the Le family, including three children, are presumed dead after a fire burned down an East Lansdowne home Wednesday. Prior to flames engulfing the house, two police officers were wounded by gunfire while responding to a call that an 11-year-old girl had been shot at the home.
Police continue to search debris of East Lansdowne home
Lewis Avenue in East Lansdowne with quiet Friday morning in stark contrast to the last 48 hours. Law enforcement officials were still working to comb through the ruined home where the Le family had lived for decades.
Just before 10 a.m., a flatbed truck was pulled up to the scene, ready to receive more evidence that had been taken from inside the burned out hollow of the home. Minutes later, police pulled out a stretcher covered in a blue tarp.
Neighbors trickled through, pausing behind caution tape or to speak with TV news cameramen standing by.
Family says 'our hearts are broken' after East Lansdowne fire and shooting
Law enforcement sources told the Inquirer three generations of the Le family lived in a East Lansdowne home that caught fire after a gunman shot and wounded two police officers.
Family members identified Canh Le, 43, as the person who fired on police investigating a report an 11-year-old girl had been shot.
Le lived at the home his parents; his younger brother, Xuong Le, 40; Xuong’s wife, Britni McLaughlin Le, 37; and the couple’s three young children, sources told the Inquirer. All are presumed dead, according to law enforcement officials.
Who were the officers who were shot in East Lansdowne?
The first officer on the scene, East Lansdowne Officer John Meehan, 54 was shot in his left arm, officials said. The 22-year veteran was awaiting surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his left arm.
The second officer, Lansdowne Officer David Schiazza, 44, was shot in his leg moments later. Schiazza, also a 22-year veteran of his department, was released Thursday afternoon.
Officials said it was unclear what prompted the reported shooting that initially led the officers to the Le family’s home.
Identifying remains will be a 'time-consuming task,' DA says
The home on Lewis Avenue was occupied by three generations of the Le family, law enforcement sources said. One resident Canh Le, was identified by family members as the person who opened fire at police officers who went there to investigate a report that he had shot his niece, the sources said.
Officials don't believe he or five other relatives made it out of the home.
“These people’s bodies have been destroyed by fire,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said, adding that identifying the remains would be a “gruesome, time-consuming task.”
Photos: Images from the East Lansdowne search scene
Map: Where the East Lansdowne fire and shooting happened
Gunman at East Lansdowne home who fired at two officers is presumed dead, along with 5 relatives, sources say
After hours of sifting through the charred remains of an East Lansdowne home on Thursday, investigators retrieved three sets of human remains and a rifle — the beginnings of their painstaking search for evidence as they worked to piece together what led a resident of the home to shoot two police officers before setting the house ablaze the day before.
It was difficult, “gruesome” work, according to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. And frustratingly, he said, the full scope of what happened inside the ruined home on Wednesday afternoon may never be fully understood.
The excavation work at the fire scene on Thursday was hampered by still-smoldering hot spots and several feet of water that pooled in the basement. The flames that engulfed the house destroyed important evidence, authorities said, and in the coming days, investigators may need to rely on dental records and other forensic testing to fully identify victims.