Johnstown officials identify 2 who killed each other in afternoon shootout on Broad Street
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — The two men who fatally shot each other Wednesday afternoon in Johnstown have been identified.
The Cambria County Coroner’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and Johnstown police held a joint press conference Friday morning to provide an update in the case.
The afternoon shootout took place in the area of Broad Street and 6th Ave. around 2 p.m. when two men were driving beside each other and fired about five shots at each other, according to investigators.
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees identified the men as 30-year-old Elliott Ruff of Delaware County and 22-year-old Ethan Williams of Johnstown who both died of gunshot wounds.
Investigators said Williams was found in the driver’s seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head.
They say Ruff, who was shot in the lower torso, drove from Broad Street toward the hospital where he crashed his vehicle in the city near Napolean and Dibert streets.
He was taken by EMS to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center where he died in the operating room due to massive blood loss.
Lees says both deaths have been ruled homicides.
He noted these were the ninth and tenth homicides in Johnstown this year.
District Attorney Greg Neugebauer thanked the community for helping with the investigation.
“This was an incident that could’ve been a lot worse,” Neugebauer said. “Where it happened, when it happened, the manner in which it happened has absolutely no place in our community. The community stepped up. They Helped us.”Neugebauer said investigators have recovered the two guns believed to be used in the shooting.
He said they’re still investigating a motive.
He added Williams was a person of interest in several other violent crimes.
Investigators say there were two passengers in Ruff’s vehicle and one passenger in Williams’ vehicle but neither were struck by gunfire.
They say all three passengers gave statements and their accounts corroborated one another’s.
Johnstown Police Chief Richard Pritchard said the scene was chaotic for responding officers but they were able to utilize resources and make sure bystanders were safe.
“Obviously when a busy street like that, you receive a call for shots fired, it’s a high concern and there are people going in and out of businesses, traveling back and forth on Broad Street,” Pritchard said.Pritchard said Ruff was found in grave condition and Captain Chad Miller drove the ambulance to the hospital so both medics could work on him.
“You talk about a group of law enforcement professionals that work extremely hard that are taxed day in and day out keeping a high level of professionalism, working the case and working with other law enforcement partners,” Neugebauer said. “Those are things that people don’t see.”
No charges are expected to be filed in the case.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfn7yputKtprCmXaSzp7XCopilq12esaa606KdsmViYsSpu4ykoKWklZl6pq3CoWSorJiav261zWaYn6yVp7uwu81mqqGnn6m8tsCMqKVmmqKkrqV50q2pnp2k