State trooper shooting suspect Eric Frein played live war simulation games
New details from the Eric Frein case, the man who shot two Pennsylvania State Troopers last Friday, killing one of them, show that the suspect was part of a “military simulation unit.” His group played the roles of eastern European soldiers from WWI on up to present day, according to police. Now, authorities say, he is taking on that role in real life. Since last Friday, hundreds of local and out of state law enforcement officials have spend much of their time away from their normal duties in pursuit of Eric Frein, the delusional gunman who hid himself in the woods outside of the Blooming Grove State Police barrack late Friday night and shot the two troopers, one of whom died, the other seriously injured but recovering. Mr. Frein was named the lead suspect after police officers found his Jeep abandoned near the woods with his license and matching shell casings inside. Police received a tip that Frein recently shaved his head and is now wearing a Mohawk, a change police say was part of the mental groundwork before committing the murder. As schools throughout northeastern Pennsylvania remain closed while the manhunt is afoot, authorities say they have received several tips about similar-looking men, but haven’t gotten anywhere yet. A Canadensis, PA resident, Eric Frein has been charged with killing 38-year-old married father of two Corporal Byron Dickson, a PA State Trooper veteran. The trooper’s viewings and mass were held at Scranton’s St. Peter’s Cathedral yesterday and today, respectively. PA State Police warn that Frein is a dangerous man, who is considered an “anti-law enforcement survivalist” who spoke of murdering licensed officials several times in the past to estranged family and friends. Those who know him say Frein has had a grudge against police for more than eight years, but no details as to that fact were given. Police say that after the shooting, Frein took off in his 2001 Jeep Cherokee and drove it into a swamp about two miles away from the station. Three days later, a man walking his dog found the partially submerged vehicle and called emergency dispatchers. The hunt for Frein has been on ever since. Source: TribLive.com, “Police: Ambush suspect was military re-enactor” 17 September 2014