AMBRIDGE, Pa. — Early Sunday morning, a quiet block on Locust Street turned into a scene of tragedy and loss. Around 2:30 a.m., neighbors were jolted awake by the sound of gunfire. When officers from the Ambridge Police Department arrived, what they found inside a nearby home would shake this small community.
Inside the house, police discovered two people — a man and a woman — lying with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the urgent efforts of first responders, both were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were later identified as Andre Littles, 54, of Pittsburgh, and Ashley Anne Delucca, 38, of Ambridge — people known in the community as caring individuals with families and friends now grappling with an unimaginable loss.
Officers learned from neighbors that the shots sounded like they came from inside the home. That prompted them to step in quickly, only to find the heartbreaking scene. Also inside the house were two teenagers who, by sheer fortune, were unharmed. They were taken in by a relative as the investigation unfolded.
As authorities worked to piece together what happened, they identified a suspect quickly and issued alerts to surrounding law enforcement agencies. Hours later, around 8:37 a.m., the Ohio State Highway Patrol contacted Ambridge police with news: the suspect had been found after a vehicle crash in Zanesville, Ohio.
The suspect, 39-year-old Howard James Thomas Jr. of Ambridge, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries from the crash. Once stable, he was taken into custody. Police charged him with two counts of homicide in connection with the deadly shooting.
In the wake of the shocking violence, Ambridge Mayor Tina Iorfido-Schmidt spoke to the community with a tone of sorrow and resolve. She offered her deepest condolences to the families of Littles and Delucca, and thanked officers and investigators for their swift work. She stressed that there was no ongoing threat to the public, urging residents to support one another through the pain.
For the people of Ambridge — a town that usually greets sunrise with calm streets and familiar faces — Sunday brought grief and unanswered questions. Investigators are still working to understand what sparked the shooting and how the lives of two good people were cut short.
