Pennsylvania police report closing in on trooper slaying suspect

Pennsylvania state police said they are closing in on Eric Matthew Frein, who is suspected of shooting two state troopers, one fatally, in an ambush outside a police barracks this month.

While searching for the marksman in a densely wooded area in and around Monroe County, authorities have found several items he abandoned or hid for future use, including an AK-47-style rifle and ammunition, police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Frein, 31, described as a survivalist with an anti-government bias who may believe he is an Eastern European soldier, is suspected of killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding Trooper Alex T. Douglass on Sept. 12.

Bivens said that Frein had been planning the attack and his escape for months and that he keeps moving, covering several miles a day, as teams search for him.

“We are pushing him hard. He is no longer safe, and I am confident he will be apprehended,” Bivens said. Dogs and human trackers have indicated that police are on the right track, he said.

A “shelter in place” order issued for residents of Price and Barrett townships late Friday was lifted after police searched those areas, he said, adding that residents should stay vigilant and report any sightings of Frein or possible hiding places.

Still, “there is no indication he is a danger to the schoolchildren or someone else in the public,” Bivens said. “His fight is with law enforcement.”

Frein was trained to shoot by his father, a U.S. Army veteran, and has become so adept with long-arm weapons that he “doesn’t miss,” his father told police, according to a criminal complaint. Bivens said Sunday that Frein has had no known contact with his family since the Sept. 12 shootings.

The FBI has placed Frein on its 10 most-wanted list and is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

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