Steven Admire, a 54-year-old male from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was killed on April 11, 2025, in a violent early-morning murder-suicide inside an apartment building in the 500 block of South 9th Street. The incident began around 4 a.m., when police were called for reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found Admire suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency responders tried to save him, and he was transported to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, but he died from his injuries.
Investigators said the suspected gunman was Duane A. Ulmer, 62, who lived in the same apartment building. Authorities said Ulmer went to a neighboring apartment with a firearm and fired through an exterior window, striking Admire. Police indicated the two men were known to each other, though officials did not release a clear motive explaining why Ulmer targeted him.
After the shooting, Ulmer returned to his own apartment. While officers were still on the scene, they noticed smoke and flames coming from a nearby unit. Firefighters extinguished the fire, and during a search of the burned apartment, police found Ulmer dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said the fire appeared to have been intentionally set.
The timing of the killing was a major focus of the investigation. Ulmer was scheduled to be formally evicted that same morning. According to the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office, he had caused problems in the building for months, and police had been called there multiple times. Officials said those earlier calls did not involve violence or threats of violence, but the landlord had pursued eviction because of alleged threats toward neighboring tenants and the property owner, hostile behavior, nonpayment of rent, and refusal to allow maintenance services.
Ulmer had failed to appear for an eviction hearing on March 18, 2025, and the court granted the eviction. Investigators said his apartment was still filled with belongings and there were no packed boxes, leading authorities to conclude that he did not appear to be preparing to leave voluntarily. People who knew him described him as angry and constantly complaining, and officials said he had been referred to the Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging in the months before the shooting. The agency reportedly made multiple attempts to offer services, but Ulmer refused assistance, declined to cooperate, and would not sign paperwork.
Because Ulmer died at the scene, there were no arrests, criminal charges, trial, or conviction connected to Admire's killing. Authorities treated Ulmer as the suspect in the fatal shooting and said there was no continuing threat to the public. The case remained under investigation after the incident, and police asked anyone with information to contact Lebanon City Police or the Lebanon County Detective Bureau.
