NEWVILLE, Pa.–Court records obtained by FOX43 News reveal the man accused of killing two men on the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Fort Littleton Interchange in Fulton County had a history of financial problems.
Clarence Briggs, 55, of Newville, is accused of shooting and killing Turnpike employee Danny Crouse, 55, of Needmore, and retired York City Police officer Ronald Heist, 71, on Sunday morning. Heist was working for Schaad Detective Agency.
Briggs was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Investigators say Briggs was a retired state trooper.
The investigation is ongoing and it is not immediately clear what might have prompted Briggs’ shooting spree.
According to court documents, Briggs, who lived along the 600 block of North Middle Road in Newville with his wife, Donna, first filed for bankruptcy in March 2015.
According to that 76-page filing, the Briggs had assets of $233,375, including the equity on their $196,000 home in Newville. The couple had $10 cash on hand and a bank account with a total of $400.
But the Briggs had liabilities of $314,615 — including loans on their vehicles, a 2010 Lexus RX 350 and a 2004 BMW 325X1 and more than $66,000 in credit card debt, according to their bankruptcy filing with the Pennsylvania Middle District Bankruptcy Court.
The Briggs’ listed five firearms in their bankruptcy filing including, a Marlin 1894, Remington 7600P, Ruger Blackhawk, Mossberg 535 and Remington 870 Police Custom.
The bankruptcy filings list Briggs as working as a ranger master for Israeli Weapons Industries US Inc., a weapons development firm that serves military and law enforcement clients. His monthly gross salary was listed a $2,600, according to the court documents.
