CRIME

Police release profile of gunman who ambushed troopers, killing 1; may have been well-trained

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, right, speaks to the press at the Blooming Grove Baptist Church in Pike County, Pa., Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 about the shooting Friday night that took the life of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and critically injured another. Corbett said investigators won't rest until they capture the gunman. He flanked by Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, left. (AP Photo/The Times-Tribune, Michael J. Mullen) (The Associated Press)

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, right, speaks to the press at the Blooming Grove Baptist Church in Pike County, Pa., Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 about the shooting Friday night that took the life of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and critically injured another. Corbett said investigators won't rest until they capture the gunman. He is flanked by Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, left. (AP Photo/The Times-Tribune, Michael J. Mullen) (The Associated Press)

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett leaves the Geisinger Community Medical Center after a brief visit with wounded Pennsylvania State Trooper Alex T. Douglass, 31, of Olyphant, Pa. on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, in Scranton, Pa. Trooper Douglass was involved in a shooting ambush along with fellow state trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson, 38, of Dunmore, Pa. who was killed on Friday night at the state police barracks in Blooming Grove Township, Pa. (AP Photo / The Scranton Times-Tribune, Butch Comegys) (The Associated Press)

The killer had a grudge against the Pennsylvania State Police, regularly visited a local shooting range to keep his skills sharp, and picked just the right hiding spot from where he could launch an ambush and make his escape.

This chilling profile was developed by state police searching for the gunman who opened fire on two of their own outside the Blooming Grove barracks late Friday. It was released to the public Monday in hopes it might help authorities catch him.

Authorities say the unknown gunman used a .308-caliber rifle to kill Cpl. Bryon Dickson and critically wound another trooper at the remote outpost surrounded by dense forest. He then slipped away. The motive is unknown, but police said Monday it's likely he had a grievance against the state police.