A Swatara Township woman was inside her East Park Gardens apartment Thursday night when she heard two gunshots.
She went to her window around 9:05 p.m. and saw a vehicle peeling out of the apartment complex parking lot at 199 N. 40th Street, and speeding toward Paxton Street and Interstate 83. PennLive is not publishing the woman’s name because the suspects remain on the loose.
“All you hear is two pops of a gun,” she said. “I didn’t see a body drop; it was too dark.”
Swatara Township police soon discovered 20-year-old Keshawn Maurice Carter of Lower Paxton fatally shot in the parking lot. His body was found in front of a parked vehicle. The Dauphin County Coroner’s Office later pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police have not made any arrests or publicly identified suspects as of Friday afternoon. They sent out a news release Friday saying they believe some suspects may have fled on foot and others in a vehicle. They also confirmed Carter’s identity as the victim.
“We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. The investigation is still very active and tips from the community have been incredibly helpful,” police said in the news release.
Anyone with information should call police at 717-564-2250, or submit a tip online.
The shooting left the apartment complex’s longtime residents feeling shocked and scared.
“This is the worst thing that’s happened out here since I’ve been here,” said Michelle Green, who’s lived in East Park Gardens since 2007.
There have been shots fired calls in the area before, but never a fatal shooting, according to Green.
She said she plans to start a petition to get the apartment complex owners to install security cameras and take additional safety precautions.
“Something needs to be done,” Green said.
The woman who witnessed the suspects’ car speeding away said she later saw a woman — who she suspected to be Carter’s mother — crying at the scene.
“It’s a shame because there’s a lot of children around here,” the woman said. “Seeing the way the mother had to go through that was horrible.”
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