Police identify, seek man sought in six Pennsylvania killings

LOWER SALFORD, Penn. (Reuters) - Pennsylvania authorities said on Facebook Monday they were hunting for Bradley William Stone, a suspect in the shooting deaths of six people and in the serious wounding of another.

All the victims had a familial relationship to Stone, a 35-year-old resident of Pennsburg, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said in the post on Facebook.

The shooting deaths took place at three locations in Montgomery County outside Philadelphia on Monday morning, the post said.

Police were conducting an extensive search in and around Pennsburg, and people in the area were advised to remain indoors with their doors locked.

Police SWAT teams earlier had been positioned around a home in Souderton, where the suspect had been believed to be barricaded, according to local media.

Stone was described as being 5'10,' 195 pounds, with a reddish beard and mustache, and closely cropped hair.

He is believed to be a military veteran, local media said.

Stone is known to use a cane or walker to assist him and may be wearing military fatigues, authorities said.

"Stone should be considered armed and dangerous," the Facebook post said.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's office said a news conference, where more information would be released, was imminent.

The three towns where the bodies were found, among which was Souderton, are all located in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County.

Events began to unfold when a shooting was first reported at about 4:00 a.m. local time in Lower Salford, where police found a woman shot to death, local media reported.

Police responding to a second call about half an hour later found two people shot and killed in Lansdale. Two more people were found dead in Souderton.

No details were available about the sixth death.

Souderton schools were placed under lockdown for several hours but were given an "all clear" from local police at 1:20 p.m., according to the school district's website.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler)