In the quiet neighborhood of Pine Brook in Scranton, a dispute between two neighbors escalated into a shocking act of violence that left both men dead. On a Sunday evening in September 2014, 65-year-old Thomas Campion, a white male, shot and killed his neighbor, Anthony Collins, before turning the gun on himself. The tragic events unfolded in the street, leaving the community stunned and searching for answers.
The catalyst for the deadly confrontation was reportedly a racial slur uttered
by Campion. Witnesses stated that after an exchange of words, Campion went into his home, retrieved a firearm, and returned to shoot Collins multiple times. The violence was sudden and brutal, leaving Collins deceased in the street. The sound of gunshots, initially mistaken for fireworks by some, quickly gave way to the wail of sirens as police descended on the scene.
By the time law enforcement arrived, the situation was still unfolding. Officers witnessed the final, tragic act of the evening as Campion took his own life on a nearby porch. The coroner later confirmed that Anthony Collins, 54, died from multiple gunshot wounds in a death ruled a homicide, while Thomas Campion died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound, which was ruled a suicide.
The aftermath of the murder-suicide left the community grappling with the senseless loss of life. Neighbors remembered Campion as a man who, just two years prior, had heroically saved a family from a fire, making the evening's events all the more difficult to comprehend. His obituary painted a picture of a dedicated public servant who had worked for Lackawanna County and the National Park Service at the Steamtown National Historic Site. He was a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School and Georgetown University, and was actively involved in various historical societies. The motive behind the tragic events of that September evening remains a stark reminder of how quickly a dispute can escalate to a point of no return.
