4 dead, including shooter, in central Pennsylvania
By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 5:22 PM EST, Fri December 21, 2012

(CNN) -- A man killed two men and one woman Friday in central Pennsylvania, then died in a gunfight with state troopers, authorities said.

The first report of shots fired came in a 911 call placed around 9 a.m. As Pennsylvania State Police officers responded, someone in a truck fired at their marked patrol cars.

The truck's driver then collided "head-on" with a different patrol car, got out of his vehicle and began firing at officers, Trooper Jeffrey Petucci said.

State troopers returned fire, eventually killing the truck's driver. According to Blair County District Attorney Richard Consiglio, three state police officers were hurt in the response: One was wounded when a bullet hit his armored vest, another was hurt in the vehicle accident, and the third was hit by flying glass as the shooter fired through the windshield of the officer's vehicle.

The incident occurred in Frankstown Township, about 7 miles southeast of Altoona and 100 miles east of Pittsburgh. By 10 a.m., the "active shooter situation" was under control, the Blair County Emergency Management Agency reported on its Facebook page.

Sometime after this episode, three slain people were discovered at three different locations, said state police Lt. Col. George Bivens.

A woman was killed at a church, one man was found dead in a residence, and the other man was killed after getting into a car accident with the truck's driver, added Bivens. All three had been shot.

"It is believed that the male subject committed three homicides before encountering the troopers," state police said in a statement.

Authorities have not identified the shooter or the victims. Earlier, an official gave a different breakdown of the victims' genders. Consiglio said "they were not immediate family" of the shooter.

"Some weapons" tied to the episode have been seized, though Bivens did not detail the type of firearms, how they had been obtained or how they were used Friday.

"It is safe to say there was more than one weapon seized from the crime scene," Bivens said.

Around noon, the Blair County Emergency Agency said on Facebook, "There is no longer a threat to residents and visitors to this area from this individual." A road -- Juniata Valley Road, between Geeseytown and Canoe Creek State Park -- was closed for the rest of the day Friday "as the Pennsylvania State Police process the crime scene along this route for evidence."

In the wake of the shootings, a prayer service for the community was scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Geeseytown Lutheran Church in Frankstown Township.

CNN's Jake Carpenter contributed to this report.

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