Woman who was among 3 killed in Falls Township died like she lived — protecting her family, relatives say

Taylor Daniel was always protective of her family, according to loved ones. Her final moments were no different.

When Andre Gordon Jr., 26, the father of her two girls, showed up armed Saturday at the home she shared with her mother, brother, and children, Daniel thought of them first, ordering everyone to hide as she called the police.

“She yelled at me, ‘Mom, get in your room, Andre’s here and he’s got a gun,’” said the 25-year-old’s mother, Nancy Daniel.

Gordon, 26, broke down the front door and fatally shot the mother of his children as she was on the phone calling for help, Nancy Daniel said.

Gordon, who police said killed three people and carjacked another two that day, then fled to Trenton and led police on a nine-hour manhunt for reasons unknown to the Daniel family.

Gordon’s alleged crime spree began early Saturday morning, according to an affidavit made public Monday. He stole a silver 2013 Nissan Altima during a robbery in Trenton, driving to Falls Township, where police were dispatched to the unit block of Viewpoint Lane at 8:52 a.m. for a report of an armed person.

According to the affidavit, Ring doorbell video showed Gordon appearing to use a rifle to break glass on the front door, then pointing the rifle into the residence. Evidence from the scene indicates he fired shots into the residence through a broken window.

Police found Gordon’s stepmother, 52-year-old Karen Gordon, and his sister, 13-year-old Kera Gordon, dead from gunshot wounds in a rear first-floor room. Police also found spent shell casings, bullet holes in a wall and door, and blood on the floor.

Police said three other family members were present during the shooting: Andre Gordon Sr., the husband of Karen Gordon and father of Kera, as well as another man and a juvenile.

The elder Gordon, told authorities that he was awoken by his wife, who told him that his son, the younger Gordon, was at the front door. He said he opened the front door and engaged in a verbal exchange with his son, then closed the door.

The younger Gordon, while displaying the rifle, began hitting the front door, causing the glass to break, according to the affidavit. The elder Gordon said he then heard gunshots.

At 9:01 a.m. — nine minutes after the first call from Viewpoint Lane — Taylor Daniel dialed police, reporting an armed person on the unit block of Edgewood Lane.

Nancy Daniel came out of her bedroom and attacked Gordon with an axe handle after she heard gunshots, at which point Gordon struck her on the head with the rifle and left, evading authorities who arrived minutes later.

When police arrived to Edgewood Lane at 9:05 a.m., they found Taylor Daniel lying on the floor with a gunshot wound.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

At 9:13 a.m., a man reported that his gray 2016 Honda CRV had been stolen from the parking lot of a Dollar Tree located at 1279 Bristol Pike. The man told police he was using an air compressor to fill a tire when Gordon displayed his gun, ripped the hose from the tire, and drove away. Police said he then traveled to Trenton. The Nissan police said Gordon had stolen earlier was later found near the Dollar Tree.

In Trenton, police believed Gordon had barricaded himself with several hostages in a home.

At some point, Gordon escaped from the house but was apprehended around 5 p.m., while walking several blocks away.

He had cut his hair in an attempt to conceal his identity, police said. The stolen Honda CRV was abandoned nearby.

Gordon had no attorney listed in court documents.

On Monday, the Daniel family was finally able to return home to Edgewood Lane. Relatives helped Daniel’s mother and brother replace the broken-down door as the family began to think about funeral arrangements.

Daniel’s daughters, ages 3 and 5, remained the focus. They weren’t injured in the attack but they’d heard it, and one had been having trouble sleeping and eating since Saturday.

Daniel’s family said she’d been in an on-and-off relationship with Gordon for at least seven years, but she moved back home a little more than a year ago as she began to notice him acting increasingly irrational and she worried the family would be evicted. At first, Daniel’s family said he would drop by to see the girls a couple of times a week, but he stopped in June.

Daniel, who was described by her family as chatty, goofy, and a protector who stood up to her brother’s fifth-grade bullies, had big plans for the year. She’d met a new romantic partner, they planned to move to upstate New York in the second half of the year, and she wanted to enroll her 5-year-old in karate.

“She had so many plans for them when they grew up,” said her brother, John Daniel.

On Saturday, Taylor Daniel had been gearing up for Easter, she’d bought colorful pastel decorations for the girls. Then Gordon showed up at her doorstep.

The decorations, said her brother, are still in the car.