Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Joseph Perechinsky Jr. 

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A rifle-wielding man was shot and killed after ambushing two Pennsylvania State Troopers during a welfare check in Thompson Township, Susquehanna County, on Thursday, Aug. 7, PSP announced. A woman was killed in the initial shooting, and an EMT was also injured when his vehicle was hit by gunfire.

The call came in to PSP Gibson Barracks at 11:17 a.m. from the boyfriend of 57-year-old Lori Wasko after a shooting at her home at 20141 State Route 171.

Trooper Joseph Perechinsky, a six-year patrolman whose father is the Mayfield Borough police chief and whose brother is a police officer in Archibald, was the first to arrive. He was quickly followed by Trooper William Jenkins, a 10-year veteran and married father of four.

“They were ambushed by several rounds of rifle fire, shot from a position of tactical superiority,” State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said.

Perechinsky was struck twice — once in the chest and once in the torso. Jenkins was hit once in each arm. Despite his injuries, Perechinsky applied tourniquets to Jenkins and took cover behind the shot-up victims as more than a dozen rounds poured in. He also commandeered a tractor-trailer and positioned it across the highway to block civilian vehicles from entering the line of fire until more law enforcement could arrive.

Carl Lawson, an EMT for Barnes Kasson Hospital, arrived in a quick response SUV and came under fire as well. His vehicle was hit, causing him to crash. Lawson escaped and took cover but was injured and taken to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

The shooter was identified as 61-year-old Carmine Faino, who lived across the highway at 20034 State Route 171. PSP says Faino fired a semi-automatic long gun, shot down a police drone, and refused to negotiate while sitting on a propane tank police feared he may have weaponized. Additional explosives were suspected on the property.

A perimeter was established by state and local police before PSP’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) took over. Negotiations failed, and SERT members fatally shot Faino. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both Perechinsky and Jenkins were wearing bulletproof vests at the time of the ambush. Perechinsky was flown to Geisinger CMC, and Jenkins was flown to Geisinger Wyoming Valley. Lawson was also hospitalized. All are in good spirits, according to PSP. Both troopers are on administrative duty during the investigation.

Friends of Lori Wasko are mourning her loss on social media, remembering her as “a beautiful soul” who “touched the lives of many people.” One friend wrote, “Every time I saw her she would always give me a hug and her beautiful smile. Her life was tragically taken away for no reason whatsoever.”

Governor Josh Shapiro praised the troopers’ heroism, saying Perechinsky “quite likely saved the life of his partner and the life of community members who were in the area.”

The Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office is investigating SERT’s use of force in Faino’s death. Per PSP policy, the unit assisting in the joint investigation will not be from the troop covering the area where the shooting occurred. The forensic services unit and PSP’s Area III Major Case Team remain on scene.

PSP says no motive for the shootings has been determined at this time