Pennsylvania
Officers shoot, kill man who fired at them during domestic violence call, state police say
YORK — Law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania shot and killed a man who fired at them during a domestic violence call, including aiming shotgun blasts at an officer forced to dive off a porch to protect himself, a county prosecutor said.
Spring Garden Township police were called to a home shortly after 11 p.m. Friday on a report of an armed man having broken into the home of his estranged wife, York County District Attorney David Sunday Jr. told reporters Saturday evening.
When a township police officer approached the front door and requested entrance, Payden Sells, 34, of Spring Grove, told the officer “to back off” and then fired four shotgun blasts from inside the house “as the officer ran across and dove off the porch to take cover,” Sunday said.
Sells then went to the second floor, and two township officers — including the officer who had been fired at — went into the house to try to obtain the victim’s release. Three more shots were fired by Sells from the bedroom, Sunday said.
The officers talked to Sells from the second-floor landing, and he told them he had plenty of ammunition and to keep out of the bedroom, Sunday said. Police were able to obtain the release of the victim and her two dogs, he said.
Officers from a number of surrounding agencies arrived to help. Tactical officers recommended that the two township officers withdraw because of safety concerns.
Sells fired multiple shots from the second-floor window at officers on the scene, and less than a minute later he came out the front door with two handguns. He was told to drop his weapons but fired at least one shot in the direction of officers, and law enforcement officers returned fire, killing him, Sunday said.
In the home, officers found a shotgun on the kitchen floor and found shotgun damage to the door and window. Discharged casings were found on the floor of the second-floor bedroom along with live rounds, which Sunday said were “consistent with Sells attempting to reload the handguns.”
Sunday, who said he viewed body camera and doorbell camera footage and went to the crime scene himself, said the evidence clearly showed that Sells fired at officers, including the shotgun blasts at the officer on the porch “that amounted to an ambush.”
“Under any definition of justification in the law, the shooting death by law enforcement was absolutely necessary in order for officers to neutralize a threat and protect themselves and others from potential serious bodily injury or death,” Sunday said.
Sunday said the case showed the threat posed by domestic violence offenders to victims and law enforcement, and also the importance of the role of police — especially highlighting the officer who was fired upon multiple times and who then “ran into a home to do everything he could to protect the victim … and in doing so put his life in danger.”
Pennsylvania
Large fire damages apartment building in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
A large fire ripped through an apartment building in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Saturday night.
The fire broke out just after 8:15 p.m. at One Maryland Circle apartments in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County.
Video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows firefighters battling heavy flames in an apartment unit, with thick smoke pouring from the building. The footage also shows noticeable damage to the building from the fire.
The cause of the fire is unknown, and it is unclear if anyone was displaced or injured.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Pennsylvania
Man in critical condition after argument turns to shooting in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Investigators say the dispute escalated into gunfire.
Saturday, December 13, 2025 2:03PM
LANSDOWNE, Pa., (WPVI) — An argument between two groups turned violent late Friday night in Delaware County, leaving one person fighting for their life.
The shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. along the unit block of South Wycombe Avenue in Lansdowne.
Investigators say the dispute escalated into gunfire, striking one individual who was rushed to the hospital and is now listed in critical condition.
Police recovered a firearm at the scene, but so far, no arrests have been made.
Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or any details about what sparked the confrontation.
Detectives are continuing to investigate and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Pennsylvania
Vallejo man suspected of fatally shooting wife arrested in Pennsylvania
A man suspected of fatally shooting his wife at their Vallejo home was tracked to Pennsylvania and arrested, authorities said.
The Vallejo Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a missing person report on Tuesday evening on the the 1000 block of Oakwood Avenue. A friend had reported her coworker had not shown up for work, and the friend was worried about her well-being after a recent argument with her husband. The friend told officers her friend had recently gone to a mutual friend’s residence after her husband had threatened to kill her.
Police conducted a welfare check at the missing person’s apartment, but no one answered the door, police said, and none of the neighbors reported any disturbances from the residence. An automated license plate reader indicated that her vehicle was last seen traveling in West Vallejo, and attempts to contact both the missing person and her husband by phone were unsuccessful, police said.
On Wednesday evening, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex entered the missing person’s residence and found her unresponsive and he called 911. Officers arrived and found she had been shot to death at the scene, police said. The woman’s husband, 45-year-old Vallejo resident Zheer Queja Malassab of Vallejo, was identified as the suspect.
A search for the victim’s vehicle led to the discovery that it traveled to Pennsylvania, and detectives contacted the Pennsylvania State Police, informing them of a be-on-the-lookout alert and the vehicle’s last known location.
Pennsylvania State Police located the vehicle and and tried to pull it over in snowy conditions, but the driver sped away, police said. Due to the conditions, the driver was ultimately forced to stop and surrender. Zheer was arrested without incident, and he admitted to shooting his wife after he was read his Miranda rights, police said.
Zheer is currently waiting to be extradited to California, where he will face charges of murder and will be booked into the Solano County Jail.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Detective Stephanie Diaz at (707) 648-5430 or at Stephanie.Diaz@cityofvallejo.net, or Detective Zach Horton at (707) 648-5425 or Zach.Horton@cityofvallejo.net. Anonymous tipsters can call the tip line at 800-488-9383.
It was the city’s 17th homicide of 2025.
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