Killing of man who shot 2 troopers ‘100% justified,’ Franklin County DA says

The commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police said it was “fierce gunfight” that left two Pennsylvania State Police troopers injured and a suspect dead in Franklin County on Wednesday.

The shooting that followed a retail theft report and pursuit from outside Chambersburg to south of Greencastle on Interstate 81 was detailed at a press conference Thursday afternoon at state police headquarters.

Col. Christopher Paris identified the officers as Thomas Pack, 23, and Lucas Amarose, 31. They were both shot multiple times with a .40-caliber handgun wielded by the driver of the Chevrolet van involved in the incident, Lamar Foy, 31, of Baltimore, Paris said.

The wounded troopers were flown to WellSpan York Hospital. Pack was released to recover at home. Amarose is listed in serious condition as he recovers from additional surgery, Paris said.

Foy was shot and killed by a third trooper, whose name was not released. At the press conference, Franklin County District Attorney Ian Brink called the deadly use of force by law enforcement “100% justifiable.”

Here’s what happened

The incident began around 6:15 p.m. with a retail theft report from Dick’s Sporting Goods on Lincoln Way East just outside of Chambersburg. Troopers quickly found the van heading south on Interstate 81 and there were numerous attempts to bring the pursuit to a halt, according to Lt. Col. George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations for PSP.

The second deployment of stop sticks sent the vehicle into the grassy area at the bottom of the offramp at Exit 3 of I-81 at U.S. 11 in Antrim Township south of Greencastle.

Troopers positioned their vehicles to keep the van in place and tried to get the people in the van to come out. The two female passengers, Amir Loren Swift, 21, and Giani Jaida McGowan, 21, both of Baltimore, complied.

Foy did not, according to Bivens, who said troopers broke the driver’s side window and he began firing from inside the van.

Foy ran out the side door of the van, charged at the troopers, continued to fire and tried to chase them down, Bivens said.

He said he is very proud of the troopers who, although wounded, “stayed in the fight until the threat was neutralized.” He said as Foy headed toward U.S. 11, he was killed by the third trooper.

It was about 10 minutes from the time the pursuit started until the incident ended. The deadly scene at Exit 3 played out in just a minute to a minute and a half.

A search of the van turned up a large quantity of illegal drugs, cash and stolen merchandise, according to police. Bivens said investigators don’t believe this was an isolated crime, but rather part of a larger crime pattern.

Swift and McGowan are facing charges of felony retail theft, conspiracy to commit retail theft, possession with intent to deliver drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The gun Foy used was stolen Sept. 29 in Maryland, Brink, adding Foy “came ready to use it.”

His office, state police and the Franklin County Coroner’s Office gathered evidence, processed the scene and reviewed video footage.

The district attorney knows the troopers and said it made him sick to watch the videos, seeing the gunman firing on them from as close as members of the media were to him at the press conference.

The troopers and other law enforcement officers “put their lives on the line every single day,” Brink said.

Paris visited with the troopers the night of the shooting and said both were in good spirits. Pack enlisted in state police in June 2024 and Amarose, who is married, joined in 2017. Paris asked for continued thoughts and prayers for the troopers and their families

He said the use of tourniquets and ballistic trauma kits were a critical piece in their survival. Paris also lauded other law enforcement partners, first responders, flight crews, doctors and nurses at WellSpan York and the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association for their efforts in preserving the life of the troopers. Good Samaritans helping on the scene incfluded an off-duty doctor.

“I cannot say thank you enough,” Paris said.

Pack and Amarose are the seventh and eighth troopers shot since he took command of Pennsylvania State Police in January 2023. They are the eighth and ninth law enforcement officers shot in Pennsylvania since Aug. 7, 2025. Two state police troopers were wounded Aug. 7 in Susquehanna County. Five law enforcement officers were shot in York County on Sept. 17 and three did not survive.

Paris expressed a great sense of “thankfulness we’re not here planning two line-of-duty funerals.”