The Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Major Case Team and the Northampton County District Attorney’s office are investigating a trooper-involved fatal shooting of a man that occurred at 940 Berger Road in Williams Township, above, on Sunday. The residential neighborhood is located off Island Park Road near I-78 in a semi-rural part of the township.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a Williams Township resident Sunday afternoon.
In a news release Monday, state police said troopers from the Belfast barracks were dispatched to 940 Berger Road at 2:34 p.m. “for a 911 call related to a disturbance in the area.”
Upon arrival at the scene of the reported disturbance, police said a trooper met with a 55-year-old man, and a “confrontation occurred.”
As a result of the confrontation, police said the officer “fired two rounds from their department-issued Sig Sauer P227 handgun, killing the male.”
Police did not identify the man or the officer in the news release, but said the incident is being jointly investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Major Case Team and detectives from the Northampton County District Attorney’s office, with assistance from the Troop M Forensic Services Unit, the Troop M Collision Analysis Unit and the Williams Township Fire Department.
Local news media have identified the man who was shot and killed as Edward James Shadder of the 900 block of Berger Road.
Channel 69 News reported Monday that the incident police responded to involved a domestic disturbance that “escalated.”
The news station also interviewed neighbors who said Shadder had allegedly been acting violently and erratically prior to the incident.
Lehigh Valley Live cited Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck in a story in which Houck confirmed that Shadder was behaving erratically before he was shot, reporting also that it was unclear whether Shadder was armed at the time.
The news site reported that neighbors on Berger Road testified to seeing a “distressed woman” being escorted from the home by troopers following the shooting.
Shadder’s autopsy is scheduled to be performed Tuesday evening.
Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Public Information Officer Nathan Branosky said in Monday’s news release that an update on the investigation will be provided at a future date.
