A Ross Toewnship resident says it's gong to take a "real long time" for the community to heal.
An acquaintance of the alleged Ross Township Municipal Building shooter Rockne Newell said something must have "snapped," leading to the deaths of three people.
Henry McCormick, of Effort, Pa., said he wasn't surprised that Newell is being charged in the killings.
"As soon as I got the alert, I knew it was him," McCormick said. "I think there were other ways around it. Something snapped in him yesterday and I guess he thought enough is enough."
Newell allegedly opened fire Monday as he approached a municipal meeting, shooting several people reportedly over a dispute involving his property in the 200 block of Flyte Road. Newell initially fired a long gun, returning to his vehicle to get a handgun to continue the assault, police said.
McCormick said he knew Newell's son, whom he only called "Newell." He said the son stayed out of his dad's feud with the township. Officials said later at a news conference that they weren't aware Newell had any children.
"I don't think he should have came in and did what he did, but we have to look at the big picture," McCormick said of the elder Newell. "And the big picture was that we all saw this coming."
Pete Scarfaro Sr., of Ross Township, used to serve on the planning commission. He said he knows many of the officials in the township and said he was shaken by the news.
His sister in Milton, Pa,. texted him to ask if he was okay.
"When I heard about the shooting, I said, 'you got to be kidding me,'" Scarfaro said.
He heard that the scene at the municipal building was chaos -- a friend of his was grazed by a bullet and another man broke his ribs jumping off the balcony of the building in an attempt to escape.
"It is insane," he said.
Scarfaro said it won't be easy for Ross Township to heal from these wounds.
"The people in this township are close," he said. "Just about everyone knows each other. It's going to take a real long time for the family of the deceased and for the people who witnessed this to heal."