The 28-year-old man accused of killing four people in a mass shooting on Sunday is dead, Pennsylvania State Police announced Tuesday afternoon.
Timothy O’Brien Smith was pronounced dead at 8:54 p.m. Sunday, hours after investigators believe he donned a ballistic vest and opened fire on his ex-girlfriend and three other people at Ed’s Car Wash on Route 711 in Saltlick, Fayette County.
Killed in the attack were Cortney Snyder, 23; Seth Cline, 21; his half-sister Chelsie Cline, 25; and William Porterfield, 27. A fifth friend, Sammi Snyder, who authorities said was in her early 20s, survived the attack by hiding in the backseat of a pickup truck.
State police said Monday that Mr. Smith was still alive and in critical condition, however authorities confirmed Tuesday that he was pronounced brain dead on Sunday and his body was removed from life support later on. It was not clear exactly when that happened.
Mr. Smith, who was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, a .308-caliber rifle and a 9 mm handgun, suffered a gunshot wound to the head that authorities said may have been self-inflicted. The body armor vest he wore did not have the protective ballistic panels inserted, police have said.
Public information officer Trooper Robert Broadwater said Tuesday authorities are still determining the nature of his wound.
Autopsies on each of the four victims were completed on Monday, according to the Fayette County Coroner's Office. All four died from gunshot wounds.
An autopsy of Mr. Smith’s body will be conducted at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said.
Megan Ritenour, cousin of Mr. Porterfield and a longtime friend to Ms. Cline, said Tuesday she feels bad for Mr. Smith’s family but feels he deserved to die.
“[His family] probably didn’t know what a monster he was,” she said. “He got karma for taking four of my friends away for no reason at all.”
Shelly Bradbury: sbradbury@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1999 or on Twitter @ShellyBradbury.
First Published: January 30, 2018, 9:11 p.m.
