Suspect in 5 killings barricaded in Philadelphia-area home - reports

(Reuters) - A suspect in five killings has barricaded himself in a home outside Philadelphia on Monday morning, local media outlets reported. Police had discovered the bodies of five people, all shot at close range, in three separate locations in suburbs northwest of Philadelphia, WPVI television and other media reported. Police SWAT teams were positioned outside the home, in the town of Souderton, where the suspect, believed to be a military veteran, was holed up, WPVI reported. Shortly after 12 p.m., an unidentified person was taken out of the home and put into an ambulance, the television station reported. Local police said they could not confirm the fatal shootings or the status of the suspect. A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County District Attorney's office also could not confirm the situation but said a statement would be released later in the day. 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 a.m. (0900 GMT) 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. Souderton schools were placed under lockdown, according to the school district's website. "Due to police activity in Souderton and Harleysville, our schools have been placed in 'Shelter in Place,'" it said. "All students are safe and are secured in their classrooms." Local police in Souderton, Lower Salford and Lansdale said they could not immediately confirm the shootings or status of the suspect. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler)