Police say Pa. woman took 220-mile Lyft ride to shoot couple fostering her biological daughter in Kennedy Township
Police say a Dauphin County woman took a three-and-a-half hour Lyft ride Monday to Kennedy Township and began shooting at a family there.
She is facing a half-dozen counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Kennedy police were called to a home along Julia Lane just after 6:15 p.m. Monday for a report of seven gunshots fired. Initial reports of a person being shot turned out to be inaccurate, police said.
When police arrived, an off-duty McKees Rocks police officer had handcuffed Kayla Menne, 25, of Middletown, who was laying face down on the ground. Menne had a swollen and bruised left eye, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said a couple who are fostering and planning to adopt one of Menne’s biological children were out for a walk when Menne pulled into their driveway, exited her car and produced a gun.
Witness Duane Mrazek told police that Menne “pointed the gun directly at me” and fired one shot, then turned the gun toward the couple along with four other victims and began firing as they ran away.
The off-duty McKees Rocks officer said he was able to place Menne in custody after Mrazek punched and disarmed her, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
A second witness, in the car behind Menne’s, also told police that she exited the car and began shooting. Nine shell casings from a 9mm handgun were recovered from the scene and a Bersa Firestorm pistol was found in the road.
Menne was not in possession of a license to carry firearms, police said.
The car Menne arrived in was determined to be a Lyft vehicle, according to police. They said that based on notifications from Menne’s phone, she appeared to have traveled nearly three-and-a-half hours by Lyft to the Julia Lane home.
Menne was taken to Heritage Valley Kennedy for a medical evaluation and a psychiatric commitment.
In addition to the 18 other charges, police have charged her with carrying a firearm without a license.
A preliminary hearing date has not been set, and an attorney for Menne is not listed in court records.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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