Pittsburgh active shooter: SWAT team rescues a neighbor in armored vehicle as gunfire continues between cops and a squatter barricaded inside a house after eviction turned violent
- Residents have been told to avoid 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in the Garfield, Pittsburgh
- Sheriff's deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice - but when they approached the property, the occupant opened fire
Police have stormed to within yards of a gunman who is firing from a Pittsburgh house to pull an immediate neighbor to safety.
Hundreds of rounds of bullets are being fired on the residential street amidst an 'extremely' active shooting situation.
Video shows SWAT teams firing on the house to give cover for the officers who raced in and dragged he neighbor into an armor-plated vehicle on the 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street.
Multiple SWAT teams arrived at the scene and teargas has repeatedly been fired into the home since the gunman barricaded himself inside after police tried to serve him an eviction notice around 11am.
The White House said the President is being briefed on updates from the scene but, as the stand-off entered its fifth hour, police sent in a remote-controlled armored digger in a bid to to break into the house.
Multiple SWAT teams are at the scene on 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in Garfield, Pittsburgh. The gunman barricaded himself in a house after police tried to serve him an eviction notice around 11am
Pittsburgh police and other law enforcement personnel are seen outside the home, where the occupant is still inside
A law enforcement officer responds to gunfire in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Witnesses said that after banging on the door, police used a sledgehammer to get inside. It was at this point that the gunfire started
A woman identifying herself as the man's sister offered herself as a go-between but was turned away by police who warned that the gunman might not recognize her in his current condition.
She said she has been messaging him but has not received a response.
'He's a good man, he's just lost his brother and he was in the service,' the woman shouted at reporters.
Another family member said they had no idea what was going on but would have offered him a room if he needed a place to stay.
No shots have been heard from the house since 2.30pm prompting speculation that the gunman is now dead.
Two police drones, which were deployed to circle the home to provide assistance and knowledge to the teams on the ground, were shot down by the suspect.
The shooter's relatives owned the home and, when they died, he refused to leave. The property went to a tax sale, and now has a new owner, but the squatter has still refused to vacate.
The attorney for the new homeowners told CBS that officers were warned the squatter was heavily armed and the issue of evicting him would be volatile.
Witnesses said that after banging on the door, police used a sledgehammer to get inside. It was at this point that the gunfire started.
The ordeal descended into a gunfight, and 'hundreds' of rounds were fired.
There is just one suspect - and he is believed to be someone who shares anti-authority sentiments. He is initiating the barrage of continued gunfire.
People living on the 4800 block of Broad St have been told to stay in place, call 911, and wait to be evacuated by officers.
Police gave the urgent warning this morning: 'This is an extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired. Please avoid the area at this time.'
Some of the deputies have run out of ammunition, according to initial reports. Others have been injured during the stand-off situation.
Around a dozen Pittsburgh SWAT officers were seen arriving at the scene, gearing up to confront the gunman.
One deputy was 'pinned down' in a defensive position during the assault. He was saved by a member of the SWAT team, CBS reported.
The ordeal is taking place not far from St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery and UPMC Children's Hospital.
Videos taken at the scene showed multiple police cars surrounding the residential street, while at least 20 gunshots were fired in the background.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one neighbor said he heard hundreds of rounds when the shooting started - and there have been hundreds more rounds since.
Multiple SWAT teams are at the scene in Pittsburgh
An Allegheny County Police SWAT vehicle responds to gunfire
Sheriff's deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice. The man's relatives owned the home, and when they died, he refused to leave. The property went to a tax sale, and now has a new owner. But the squatter still refused to vacate
SWAT are now going door to door to evacuate everyone on the street. As of 12.20pm, gunfire is still going off
Residents have been told to avoid 4800 block of Broad Street and N. Mathilda Street in the Garfield, Pittsburgh
He immediately hit the ground in his living room as police told people to keep away from windows.
Chris Wilkinson, who is visiting family in the area, told CBS: 'In the beginning, all we heard was the cops. They were banging on the door where the shooting takes place.
'They were banging on it telling him they were there. And after a couple of minutes of them doing it, they started to kick down the door, but after a few tries they couldn't do it.
'Then, they got a sledgehammer and took down the door, and after that shots started to be fired. I've been really nervous and it's really sad what's happening.
'You think you can be safe here but you can't with what's happening.'
SWAT are now going door to door to evacuate everyone on the street.
Neighborhood Academy School has gone into lockdown. West Penn Hospital is under a partial lockdown.
As of 1.20pm, gunfire is still going off. There continues to be volleys of bullets fired.
SWAT members on the scene have now deployed robots.
The initial gunfire is seen producing smoke on the right side of this front door footage
Video taken at the scene showed multiple police cars surrounding the residential street, while at least 15 gunshots were fired in the background. Police gave the urgent warning this morning: 'This is an extremely active situation with shots continuing to be fired. Please avoid the area at this time'
Leslie Thompson, who lives in the house across the street from the commotion: 'It's unbelievable. I'm very nervous. Shots were ringing out everywhere.'
Thompson, who was working from home at the time, told CBS that she ran to the basement when she started hearing the ordeal outside her window.
She was screaming and crying while on the phone to her manager - and her home was also breached by gunfire.
The witness said that the gunshots came through her window in her living room and her bathroom - which is now riddled with bullet holes.
Glass is shattered everywhere in her home, she said.
'Trying to get to the basement was almost unbearable, shots were ringing out everywhere.'
Thompson was evacuated from her home by police.
She said it's by the 'grace of God' that she is alive.
