State police corporal killed during Chester County traffic stop; suspect dead
A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot during a traffic stop in West Caln Township; the driver later died by suicide and investigators opened a joint probe.
Corporal Timothy O’Connor, a roughly 15-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, was shot and killed Sunday evening while conducting a traffic stop in West Caln Township, Chester County, officials said. The driver of the vehicle, identified by investigators as a 32-year-old Chester County man whose name has not been released, exited the car after the shooting and died by suicide at the scene.
State Police and Chester County detectives are conducting a joint investigation into the incident, which began when troopers responded to a report of an erratic driver in the Honey Brook area. Acting Commissioner George L. Bivens said O’Connor radioed that he was stopping the vehicle; “He made a radio transmission indicating that he was stopping the vehicle. That is the last we heard from Corporal O'Connor,” Bivens said. Troopers who responded to check on him then discovered he had been shot. O’Connor was transported to Paoli Hospital, where he later died.
Reports place the encounter in a compact area of West Caln Township, with specific road names varying among initial field accounts. State Police investigators and local officials cited stops or sightings near Route 10 and Michael Road and on Compass Road, roughly two air miles from the Lancaster County line. Route 10 between Hill Road and Lammey Road was closed overnight as detectives processed the scene.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who visited Paoli Hospital and met with O’Connor’s wife Casey and his parents Maureen and Tim, said the commonwealth had lost one of its best. “Tonight, Pennsylvania tragically lost one of our finest when State Police Corporal Tim O’Connor was killed in the line of duty,” Shapiro said, and added, “Lori and I mourn with the Pennsylvania State Police family and with all of our law enforcement partners.” He directed that flags across the state be lowered to half-staff Monday in O’Connor’s honor.
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office issued a formal condolence and said detectives would review the suspect’s background and any possible motive. “We extend our deepest condolences to Corporal O’Connor’s family, friends, loved ones, and his colleagues at the Pennsylvania State Police. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this profound loss,” the office said. Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe posted on Facebook asking for prayers: “Please join me in praying for the state trooper who was shot moments ago during a traffic stop in West Caln Township … May God save this state trooper.”
Investigators have not released the suspect’s name, the weapon used, or a motive, and they have not disclosed whether any body-worn camera or dash-cam footage exists. State Police led a procession from Paoli Hospital to the Chester County Government Services Center early Monday as colleagues and local officials paid respects.
The shooting will remain under state and county review as officials seek to reconcile precise times and locations and to establish a full timeline of the encounter. For the community, the immediate impact is tangible: a veteran trooper dead, a family grieving, and a local roadway closed for hours while detectives worked the scene. Investigators said they will release further details as they become available.
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