Pennsylvania state trooper killed in traffic stop shooting; driver kills himself

A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Chester County after the driver opened fire from inside the vehicle, authorities said. The gunman then got out of the vehicle and killed himself.

The shooting happened Sunday night in Chester County, west of Philadelphia, after Corporal Timothy O’Connor Jr., 40, responded to a report of an erratic driver in the Honey Brook area, according to Pennsylvania State Police. He located the vehicle within minutes and stopped it at about 8:24 p.m. in West Caln Township.

Police said the driver opened fire almost immediately as O’Connor approached on the driver’s side. O’Connor, a 15-year veteran assigned to Troop J’s Embreeville station, was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities identified the gunman as Jesse Nathan Elks, 32, of Honey Brook. State police said Elks got out of the vehicle after the shooting, walked a short distance and fatally shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol.

O’Connor enlisted in the state police in September 2010. After serving in Avondale and later in the Criminal Investigation Unit, he transferred to Embreeville in 2022 and was promoted to corporal that July, according to the state police.

“This is a tragic day for all of us. We have lost a dear member of our family, a hero and member of the Pennsylvania State Police,” said Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, Acting Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. “Our hearts remain with Corporal O’Connor’s wife, daughter, and family. We ask for everyone’s continued prayers to help them during this devastating time.”