4 Killed In Fayette County Shooting, Suspect Not Expected To Survive
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MELCROFT (KDKA) -- Four people were killed in a shooting in Fayette County early Sunday morning, and the suspect is not expected to survive.
The shooting happened around 2:50 a.m. at a car wash in the 1200 block of Indian Creek Valley Road in Melcroft.
State police say four people died at the scene and two people -- the shooter and one victim -- were taken to local hospitals.
The victims have been identified as 27-year-old William Scott Porterfield, 25-year-old Chelsie Lou Cline, 23-year-old Courtney Sue Snyder and 21-year-old Seth William Cline.
The shooter has been identified as 28-year-old Timothy O'Brien Smith.
Smith was armed with an AR-15 .223 semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm handgun. He also possessed a .308 rifle.
At the time of the shooting, Smith was wearing a body armor carrier without the ballistic panels inserted and had several magazines for the AR-15 and 9mm handgun.
Watch the full press conference --
Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower says it is believed that Smith arrived at the scene prior to the victims' arrival and parked on the side of the car wash.
The victims arrived at the self-service car wash in two separate vehicles.
Porterfield and Chelsie arrived at the scene in one vehicle and got out for unknown reasons. They then went around the side of the car wash, where Smith shot and killed them.
KDKA's Lynne Hayes-Freeland reports:
Snyder, Seth and an unidentified woman arrived at the scene at the same time in a pickup truck. After shooting Porterfield and Chelsie, Smith shot and killed Snyder and Seth while they were still in the vehicle.
The unidentified woman, who was in the backseat of the pickup truck, was able to take cover and avoid the gunfire. She sustained only minor injuries from broken glass. Officials believe Smith didn't see her. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Smith sustained a gunshot wound to the head and is not expected to survive. Officials say it's possible the gunshot was self-inflicted, but that determination has not been made at this time.
Officials did not provide any information on a possible motive for the shooting, but relatives of the victims say Chelsie dated Smith at one time.
KDKA's Lisa Washington's Report:
"He would leave her stuff on her car. She'd get done with work, and she'd come out and there would be a case of beer on her hood, scratch-off tickets or anything," Sierra Kolar, Chelsie's sister, said. "If he found out she was sick, he would bring her flowers. He loved her."
"I have known Tim Smith since I was about 15 or 16 years old, and I would have thought in a million years he would have done this," friend Ryan Green said.
Just days before the shooting, Chelsie shared a post on Facebook that said, "After this week I rlly [sic] need to get taken out….on a date or by a sniper either one is fine w [sic] me at this point."
Smith commented on the post, saying, "I could do both."
"He loved too hard and she didn't," Kolar said.
Why the group was at the car wash is still a mystery. Porterfield's wife, who is reportedly pregnant, told reporters she and her husband had recent difficulties, but they were "fixing them." She said she heard that Chelsie and her husband had spent time together recently.
Chelsie's family believes the shooting came down to jealousy.
"I mean, now I can see it," Kolar said. "[Smith] has a very obsessive personality."
The investigation is ongoing.
