3 shot dead in Pa., girl taken to Ohio

Police say Kevin Matthew Cleeves, 35, shot and killed three people in Quincy, Pa., following a dispute with his wife over custody arrangements for his four-year-old daughter. / WKBN

(AP) QUINCY, Pa. - A man in south-central Pennsylvania confronting his wife about custody arrangements for their daughter shot to death three people, then fled with the 4-year-old girl before the two were found about 250 miles away in Ohio, authorities said Saturday.

Kevin Matthew Cleeves was trying to contact his wife Friday to make arrangements to pick up his daughter Leia, but she didn't answer the phone, so he went to a home in Quincy Township, the (Waynesboro) Record-Herald reported, citing court records.

Police said Cleeves, 35, found a woman and man sitting in a car and began arguing with them, then was ordered to leave.

He then shot to death both of them as well as another woman and also took the girl, authorities alleged.

An Amber Alert was issued Friday night but was canceled hours later after the pair were found in Austintown in northeastern Ohio, outside Youngstown.

Cleeves was arrested in the three deaths Friday night in Quincy Township, Pennsylvania state police Trooper Adam Reed said.

Authorities had said earlier that Cleeves should be considered "armed and dangerous as well as suicidal."

Cleeves was charged with three counts of criminal homicide Saturday, according to court records.

Reed would not give other information about the deaths, including the names of the victims and their relationship to Cleeves, but said more details would be released later Saturday. Court records did not list an attorney for Cleeves.

[erasmus111]

Just one of the many shooting that happen every day in the good old USA.

It's become a common occurance. Just like in the old days.

Instead of moving forward, you're moving backwards.

[vielmann]

Exactly. Isn't it wonderful that at least his second amendment rights were protected?

[realisticfromthemiddle]

Then stay in Canada on your moral high ground Erasmus. What does it say about you when you pass moral judgment on every gun related story and you don't even have a dog in the fight? Does it make you feel better about yourself to mock others? "See I am smarter than you?" That is what you look like, you know. You are always willing to point out the problem but you never propose a viable solution. Talking in generalities will never solve the problem but that has never stopped you. I am glad to know that we here in America are good for your self-esteem. Who knows what you would do if you didn't have us to make you feel superior.

[linfinster]

He wont be having to deal with custody issues any longer. And that poor girl will have awful memories of her dad for the rest of her life. Poor kid.

[MIO42]

Its not the End of the World when the wheel falls off your bicycle, and you don't have to kill someone because it s broken
Just put on a new wheel

There that wasn't so tough was it ?

[honest_pols]

THE FAMILY COURT SYSTEM, AND THE LAWYERS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS THEREIN,
HAVE CONTRIBUTED HEAVILY TO AMERICA'S DOWNFALL VIA SOCIETAL DESTRUCTION

Are we jumping to conclusions again?
In reality, the Family Court System is not set up to consider the man's or the father's rights or feelings, or for equal rights with the mother.

Gender Bias against fathers, which is still highly-pervasive in what is falsely claimed to be a gender-neutral court system, predominantly frustrates fathers and breaks both the children's and father's hearts, often becoming THE DIRECT CAUSE of acts of desperation out of the prejudice and lack of justice, causing pain, desperation, etc.

HOLD LAWYERS ACCOUNTABLE, AND REPLACE THE FAMILY CT SYSTEM
WITH A SYSTEM OF MEDIATION FOR THE CONCERNED PARTIES

Family Court Lawyers hardy serve their client/victims, nor the children engaged in Child Custody matters in their best interest.

The Family Court System is set as an adversarial/enemy system which thrives on incitement and instigation thereby CAUSING further pain, suffering, and ...

... hefty revenues from the unfortunate family-member victims.

[vielmann]

Yes, let's blame the courts for this man's disfunctional existence.

[cntrygirl3]

This man is quite likely not a "nutcase" at least not on the order of Mr. Holmes. He was however apparently a very angry frustrated man. If all he had was a knife he might still have killed 3 people but it is highly doubtful. This is the difference when guns are so easy to get, I am sure he had his legally. All you will hear from the NRA is if one of those 3 people had a gun they could have "stopped" him or at least I guess made it a fair shootout.

[erasmus111]

"This is the difference when guns are so easy to get,"


And so very EASY to use.

[amsdragonfly]

To be honest, if you look up gun control laws in places in Europe, like Britain, it is really hard for anyone to get their hands on a gun. That is why their statistics are so different from ours- virtually no gun massacres. But, on the other hand, they have a much higher rate of violent murders with other means, such as knives, for one. I feel like if someone REALLY wants to kill someone, anyone, they will definitely find a means to- and that's whether guns are readily available or not. But yes- I agree that stricter gun laws WOULD cut down on GUN related violence.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

His daughter, unfortunately, is better off without him.

[55minus5]

Unfortunately, so many children are (or, rather, would be) better off without their parents...

[HaveGunWillRun]

Can't people like him be sent to Florence, Colorado where he'd suffer intensely as he made those innocent people he murdered suffer?

Who are these people to take another life as if they're God? He must pay!

[frankblank]

Just another day in the life of a law abiding gun owner who got tired of abiding.

[RandyMelson]

Too bad you couldn't have been there to eat those rounds Frankie-boy so that three people whose lives have worth would still be with us.

[dustin93sc]

Kevin Cleeves should get a fair trial and then the death penalty from the Commonwealth. Harrisburg maintains a number of dangerous convicts who have execution warrants by fair-minded Juries. Inmates like Ernest Wholaver, Mark Spotz, Joey Miller, and Richard Poplawski deserve immediate capital punishment. Christopher Johnson and Brian Hummert also must be considered for the execution chamber. Pennsylvania does not have money in the state budget to keep heinous murderers.

[419andlost]

Kevin Cleeves will plead guilty and be a ward of your state for the rest of his life. It costs your state at least $1.5 million for a capital murder trial and and $1.5 million in automatic appeals. States won't kill a person who embraces their crime, they only kill people who claim their innocence and cost them all that money.

[Verascity]

I hope this poor child isn't forced to visit her nutcase father in prison.

[55minus5]

A good comment; I agree.