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Alleged Store Shooter Traced To N.Y. State

Manhunt Continues For Auburn, Mass., Contractor

POSTED: 6:28 am EST December 17, 2003
UPDATED: 7:23 am EST December 17, 2003

The manhunt continues for the suspect in Monday's double shooting at a Worcester, Mass., home improvement store.

New York State Police confirm suspect Mark LeBreton, 38, was seen near Albany, N.Y. Police in Worcester aren't saying much but they have released new pictures of the truck Lebreton is believed to be driving.

NewsCenter 5's Kelly Tuthill reported that LeBreton's father is now also urging his son to call him. In a telephone interview he urged his son to contact authorities.

"I love him and that he would call me or call someone before he hurts himself or anyone else," said Leo LeBreton from Laurens, S.C.

LeBreton's photo has been distributed nationwide and has been handed out at toll booths across the East Coast.

Police have also released photos of LeBreton's pickup truck, which was spotted near a resort in New Hampshire's White Mountains about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. A police officer radioed for help, but by the time backup arrived, the truck and driver were long gone. LeBreton apparently left some belongings behind.

Later Tuesday afternoon, 150 miles away, Schenectady, N.Y., police reported a sighting of LeBreton's truck about 4 p.m. Police traced a phone call he made from a gas station pay phone. About 30 minutes later he made another phone call from a rest stop in New Baltimore, N.Y. Again, he fled before authorities caught up with him.

LeBreton is believed to be armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and may be wearing body armor. He may also have police scanners, making it easy for him to elude law enforcement.

LabretonAccording to police, he purchased a gun from a Shrewsbury, Mass., gun shop Monday before allegedly entering a Lowe's store and shooting business associate and neighbor Jim Collins in the neck. Another victim, James Walling, of Barre, Mass., is a store employee who was caught in the crossfire.

"Again, anyone who comes in contact with him should not approach the vehicle or approach him, just dial 911 immediately," said Lt. Roger Steele of the Worcester Police Department.

Collins was still in critical condition Tuesday at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, with a bullet wound to his neck. Walling was recovering from a gunshot to the shoulder.


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