LANCASTER, Pa. -- A year later, the investigation continues into the Sept. 25, 2014, home-invasion shooting in Clay Township, Lancaster County. Brett Simmons, 23, was fatally shot in the burglary and his father, James, survived being shot in the chest. Northern Lancaster County Regional police have vigorously investigated the shootings and are reminding the public, a year later, that the assailants are still at large. Police are requesting information from individuals with any knowledge of what took place that night at 580 Clearview Road. Specifically, police are hoping to speak with individuals who might have heard others talking about the crimes and/or who was responsible.
Tips can be provided, anonymously if preferred, to:
- Northern Lancaster County Regional police: 717-733-0965
- Lancaster City/County CrimeStoppers: 800-322-1913, or you can Text a Tip to CrimeStoppers from your cellphone. Text LANCS plus your message to 847411
Detective Theresa Stauffer is lead investigator.
Her work on the case, with the assistance of surrounding agencies including District Attorney Craig Stedman’s office, has yielded numerous leads and several persons of interest. Those individuals have either been cleared or remain under the umbrella of the ongoing investigation. Northern Lancaster County Regional police, in conjunction with District Attorney Stedman’s office, are sharing some new information about the case, in hopes of sparking renewed interest from the public – and, ultimately, tips that result in an arrest or arrests.
Police have interviewed an estimated 160 individuals, some on multiple occasions. The only witnesses to the crimes were present in the home that night: the Simmons family (James and Lori Simmons, Brett’s parents, and Brett’s two brothers). James Simmons reported that he heard commotion in Brett’s bedroom and initially assumed it was the two older brothers fighting. He went to the bedroom and found Brett wounded on the floor and two males in the room. The two males were wearing some sort of clothing to disguise their faces; not traditional masks. James struggled with the males, and was shot once. A second shot was fired, just missing James. The masked males fled down the stairs. Blake Simmons, a brother who was downstairs, reported hitting one of the intruders with a Lava Lamp, before both intruders fled the house.
None of the occupants were able to identify the intruders. They described the intruders as light-skinned males, of average build, both between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11. They determined the intruders entered the home through an unlocked door. There are no close neighbors on the rural street, and the closest neighbors didn’t see or hear anything related to the home invasion.
Police have scoured evidence from dozens of phones for messages, calls, or phone numbers that could lead to suspects. Along with that, police retrieved data from a cellphone tower in the area. Specifically, data was collected from an evening a week before the shootings, when there was a social gathering at the Simmons house that involved numerous individuals. Determining which data from those towers is relevant has been a trying chore. Countless unrelated transmissions used the tower, as the Ephrata Fair was happening in that timeframe.
Additionally, surveillance cameras at businesses on nearby Route 322 were checked.
Police and DA Stedman, gleaming from intelligence gained in the investigation, believe drugs played a role in the crime and robbery was a potential motive. Nothing was determined to be missing from the home; items appeared undisturbed.