Andrew Jackson Ecker, 25, was fatally shot by police late Sunday following an hours-long standoff in his home after allegedly shooting a Pottstown officer in the shoulder, authorities said Monday.
The incident began around 5 p.m. when Ecker crashed a vehicle belonging to his father’s plumbing business into another car near Beech and North Vernon Streets, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. Officers responding to the crash reported seeing Ecker reach for a .22-caliber handgun inside the vehicle before fleeing on foot to his nearby residence on Winding Road.
Once inside, Ecker barricaded himself and fired at pursuing officers, striking Officer Caleb Whitney in the shoulder. Whitney, who joined the department in 2023, was treated at a local hospital and released with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police blocked off surrounding streets as SWAT teams and personnel from multiple departments responded. Neighbors described hearing gunfire and explosions during the standoff. Hilary Lavender, a neighbor, said officers commandeered her home for tactical operations while she was stuck outside the police perimeter.
Ecker’s death occurred shortly before 11 p.m., but further details about the shooting are under investigation. Court records show Ecker was on probation after pleading guilty in 2019 to purchasing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He also had prior convictions for assault and terroristic threats.
Ecker’s father, Aram Ecker, a prominent local plumbing contractor and Pottstown Borough Authority official, declined to comment on the incident.
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