Va. soldier at large in Philly area after 4 deaths

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A soldier who recently returned from war service fired at officers in suburban Philadelphia as he was sought in the Virginia deaths of his ex-wife, her boyfriend and the boyfriend's young son, authorities said. The soldier's former mother-in-law was also killed, and he remains at large.

Residents of Warwick Township were asked to stay in their homes and lock doors and cars as police hunted for Leonard John Egland, 37, of Fort Lee, Va., who evaded authorities as Hurricane Irene lashed the area.

"I have no idea whether he's acting on impulse or whether this storm played a part in his thinking," said David Heckler, district attorney in Bucks County, Pa.

Heckler didn't know when the Virginia deaths occurred but said Egland's former mother-in-law, 66-year-old Barbara Reuhl of Buckingham, Pa., was believed to have been killed Saturday night.

Later that night, Egland went to St. Luke's Hospital in Quakertown, where he tried to leave his young daughter along with a note, Heckler said. After a male nurse or orderly confronted him, he allegedly flashed a pistol, and the hospital worker called police with a description of the suspect and his vehicle.

Just before midnight, the vehicle was stopped by state and local police in Doylestown Township, where he allegedly fired shots from a semi-automatic rifle, hitting a Doylestown officer in the arm and shattering a windshield that sent glass into the face of a Dublin officer.

The vehicle was later spotted Sunday in Warwick Township, and local officers reported being fired upon again, but no one was hit. Police issued an alert to residents to consider the suspect armed and dangerous.

Heckler said the suspect apparently tried unsuccessfully to break into a home but was still being sought Sunday by police and a SWAT team. He is believed to be on foot.

Egland had recently returned from the latest of three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Heckler said. He didn't have details on his rank or military service.

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What i dont understand our troops are directly transferred from a war zone to civilian life our government needs to help our troops transition back to civilian life. This type of issue happened here as well a soldier back from war decides to call the police but hangs up waits for there arrival and kills 2 of the officers.

All of this could of been avoided if our troops are first debriefed, evaluated,and brought back to civilian life in a sound and stable state.

[Doug Black 18]

What i dont understand our troops are directly transferred from a war zone to civilian life our government needs to help our troops transition back to civilian life. This type of issue happened here as well a soldier back from war decides to call the police but hangs up waits for there arrival and kills 2 of the officers.

All of this could of been avoided if our troops are first debriefed, evaluated,and brought back to civilian life in a sound and stable state.

Just imagine going to battle zones over and over deployment after deployment returning home, your wife divorced you, has a child by another guy. You look around and see our borders open with us having occupied most of the Middle East except Saudi Arabia as a result of an attack by Saudi Arabian citizens, for no real obvious benefit other than Israel security. We harass and do ten minute pat downs of eighty year old ladies at air ports and have a 30 plus year history of the forced destruction of the production base of the economy and tax laws that in combination with that destruction, effectively force companies off shore and effectively bar bringing that money home.

Banks offering mortgages amortized where they see the interest paid back first then they get bailed out for the rest and also getting to take people's home. Soldiers see our monetary base slowly being destroyed, and they realize that they spent five or ten years getting wounded, shot, their knees destroyed from heavy pack loads and no real future in sight. They see that democracy won't be achieved in the Middle East and that it is rather lacking at home.

I really don't think this can be debriefed. Some soldiers might end up like this guy but the other soldiers I hope will represent the future of change in America and the way back to Truth. And that's change we can believe in.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Doug Black