Three men and one woman died in Harrisburg Saturday and were among 18 people who overdosed on drugs believed to have contained fentanyl, police said.
The other overdose victims were still alive as of Saturday night. The victims who died were in their early 40s to early 60s, said Police Capt. Terry Wealand, and all of them lived within a mile of each other on North Second Street downtown.
Wealand and Mayor Wanda Williams held a news conference Saturday night to update residents on the series of overdoses as well as an ongoing manhunt after a neighborhood shooting.
Police announced they were searching for Shawn Jason, 47, who lived in the 1800 block of North Street, in connection with an afternoon shooting that injured 3 of his neighbors, including a 4-year-old girl.
Jason slipped away and was last seen walking east on Primrose Street behind his home before police sealed a perimeter around his home for a tactical operation.
He is wanted for attempted homicide, burglary and other charges, Wealand said.
The shooting stemmed from an argument between the suspect and his neighbors, Weland said. Jason then is accused of kicking in his neighbors’ door and shooting the woman and child. The shooting injured a man, a woman and the child. The victims are expected to survive.
Police would not say if Jason fled with the rifle he used in the shooting that littered the street with shell casings. Officers staked out his home for 5 hours Saturday before entering his home and finding it empty.
Neighbors said the argument started over someone trying to reserve a parking space along the street with a trash can.
Police also provided new details on the series of overdoses that caused police to issue a warning Saturday morning.
“Harrisburg, we’re in a crisis,” Williams said, to open the news conference. “We were inundated with a lethal batch of drugs.”
She implored anyone considering drug use to be incredibly careful knowing there are drugs laced with powerful fentanyl likely still circulating in the city.
“We do not want to see any more danger, any more deaths to the residents of Harrisburg,” she said.
Police were called to the first fatal overdose at 12:23 a.m. Saturday at an apartment in the 1600 block of North Second Street, where they found three adults overdosing.
A man died and two women survived the overdoses. The women are expected to survive, Wealand said.
At 9 a.m., police were called to the retirement community, Harmony Tower Apartments in the 300 block of North 2nd street on a welfare check. When police arrived, they found one woman and two men dead from suspected overdoses, Wealand said.
The victims who died lived within one mile of one another. More than a dozen other overdoses occurred throughout the city within 12 hours starting Friday night, officials said.
Earlier on Saturday, county officials said they tested evidence at the scenes of the overdoses and determined fentanyl was present in crack cocaine and synthetic drugs that users likely weren’t expecting.
Police would not say how many dealers may be involved in selling the fentanyl-laced drugs or what progress they’ve made in the investigation, since it’s ongoing.
County officials distributed Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal drug, across the city on Saturday. Police said a limited quantity of Narcan would be available to residents in the lobby of police headquarters at 123 Walnut Street.
“Just follow the directions at the reception window,” Wealand said, noting that there would be a limited quantity available for a limited time. But he would not say how many would be given away.
Police advised people to call 911 if they believe they or an associate is experiencing an overdose.
Anyone with information on the recent increase in overdoses may contact the Harrisburg Police Bureau, at 717-558-6900. Tips and information can also be submitted via the CrimeWatch website.
Individuals seeking to enter treatment or access services can call Dauphin County Drug & Alcohol Services 24 hours a day at 717-635-2254.
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