Looking back: Tragedy averted at Adams County prison
(Gettysburg) — The Adams County Adult Correctional Facility in Straban Township has an abundance of open grassy knolls and wide roads winding toward the entrance. On some days, guards might be in the parking lot, dolling out friendly nods to those headed inside.
Photo by Evening Sun
On Thursday, 31-year-old Jess Leipold approached the front doors, and pressed the buzzer. It’s not known what he said, but the unarmed guard on the other side of the intercom let him in. She had no way to know the man, dressed in camouflage with a military-style backpack, was concealing a handgun, an automatic rifle and a hunting knife.
The correctional officer stood behind an open-air desk when Leipold brandished a handgun and pointed it in her direction. For one minute she spoke calmly with him, resulting in Leipold leaving the building.
As soon as the doors’ automatic lock clicked into place, the wheels of the Adams County emergency protocol machine started turning.
“This had the potential to be an extremely tragic situation,” Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner said during one of two press conferences held Thursday.
Leipold was armed with well over 100 rounds of ammunition, State Police Trooper Frederick Hess said at the press conference.
“Somebody that’s proficient with a firearm with that many rounds of ammunition can do a lot of damage,” Hess said. “I would say that the threat level was extremely high.”
The consensus among officials and employees of the facility was that the community averted tragedy this week thanks to Adams County’s active shooter emergency response.
The prison, courthouse and government buildings went into lockdown. Local school officials were notified. Within minutes at least half a dozen police departments responded, surrounding the complex, with the Gettysburg Fire Department closing Granite Station Road, which runs in front of the prison.
“We didn’t know how far of an area this man could affect, we had to lock down all Adams County buildings because of that,” said Adams County commissioner Randy Phiel.
Leipold was pacing back and forth on the green in front of the facility holding a gun and rifle when state police arrived, Wagner said. Numerous officers braced for the worst over the course of a 30-minute standoff with Leipold occasionally firing the weapons at the ground and at least once in the air, he said.
When Leipold shouldered his rifled and took aim at a non-bulletproof window, an unidentified state trooper fired a single shot into Leipold’s torso, and police apprehended him.
Leipold was taken to the trauma unit at York Hospital where he later died on Friday, according to York County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was performed at Lehigh Valley Hospital a day later. The coroner’s office tweeted online that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the neck and back area.
No charges have been brought against the state police officer who fired the shot, Wagner said at the press conference. A Pennsylvania State Police investigation into the matter is still underway.
Preliminary indications were that the trooper was justified at firing, but the district attorney’s office will wait until the investigation ends before it decides if the officer’s action warrants any charges, Wagner said.
“The way this individual was dressed, he could have walked into any building anywhere,” said Brian Clark, warden at the Adams County prison. “Of course this catches people off guard and hits really close to home.”
A motive for Leipold’s actions is still unclear, he said.
“I can tell you that the individual in question has no connection whatsoever with the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex or with any employees,” Wagner said when asked if Leipold was ever an inmate.
Nonetheless, Leipold’s motives were temporarily interrupted after speaking with the front desk correctional officer.
“She was professional, she had a calm demeanor and we feel that had a major impact on no violence occurring with in the lobby itself of the correctional facility,” Wagner said.
Clark stressed that there was no way that Leipold would have been able to gain access to the prison past the correctional officer.
Details of that one-minute exchange have not been revealed but, Clark said, he was thankful for her quick-thinking ability to talk Leipold down.
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
