Police In A Philadelphia Suburb Are Hunting A Suspect Accused Of A 6-Person Killing Spree

LOWER SALFORD, Penn. (Reuters) - Police SWAT teams are hunting for a suspect in six killings in a Philadelphia suburb, according to ABC News.

The unidentified person, who is believed to be a military veteran, is suspected in connection with the slayings of five people, all shot at close range, in three separate suburbs northwest of Philadelphia, WPVI television and other media reported.

Police also were on the scene of a fourth location in Pennsburg, a Pennsylvania town about 14 miles northwest of Souderton, WPVI reported.

Local police said they could not confirm the fatal shootings or the status of the suspect.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's office said a news conference, where 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.

Shortly after 12 p.m., an unidentified person was taken out of the Souderton home and put into an ambulance, the television station reported.

Events began to unfold when a shooting was first reported at about 4 a.m. 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 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 Jeffrey Benkoe, Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler)