Dec 22, 2002 By Christine Haines 3 min read

UPPER TYRONE TWP. – State police said a Scottdale-area man shot and wounded another man then apparently took his own life early Friday. According to state police, Frank F. Moore, 48, of 54 Kingview Road went to the home of Richard Bisher, 49 of 1166 Valley View Drive, Scottdale, sometime before 6 a.m. Police said the two men argued, and Moore shot Bisher with a semiautomatic handgun.

After Bisher was shot, Moore apparently returned to his own house, just around the corner from the home Bisher rented from him. The state police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) attempted to make contact with Moore, without success, according to Lt. Sheldon Epstein.

Around 11:30 a.m., the police used tear gas and percussion grenades to distract Moore as they forced their way into the home, Epstein said. Once inside, the police found Moore in the kitchen, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“We did not hear a distinct gunshot. One of the officers who initially responded to the scene said he thought he had heard a gunshot,” Epstein said, noting that it was unclear just when Moore had shot himself.

Police said Bisher jumped from a second-floor window to escape from his attacker, and despite sustaining additional injuries from the fall, he made his way to a neighbor’s house.

“When I heard the bell, it was about 10 after six. I looked at the clock and knew something was wrong,” said Connie Armstrong, Bisher’s next-door-neighbor.

Armstrong said her husband, Jack, was getting ready for work and answered the door, finding Bisher bleeding on his doorstep. She said Bisher simply said, “I need help.”

“He just said he was shot,” Armstrong said.

She said her husband called the police, and they got Bisher a blanket to keep him warm until the ambulance crew arrived. She said Bisher appeared to have been shot in the upper back, though his hand also was bleeding, possibly from a cut.

State police trooper Brian Burden said Moore fired several shots, but it was unclear how many hit Bisher.

Bisher was flown to Allegheny General Hospital, where he underwent surgery Friday. He was listed in fair condition Saturday, according to a hospital official.

“It’s very upsetting. It’s like a bad dream. You just don’t expect something like this to happen,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong’s house sits some distance from Bisher’s, she said, and she hadn’t heard any arguing or gunshots. The ringing of her doorbell was her first indication there was a problem in the rural neighborhood.

Burden said both Moore and Bisher apparently lived alone. No one else was present at either home when the incident occurred.

Moore reportedly lived alone in his longtime family home and formerly worked at the Anchor Glass Container plant in Connellsville. He ran unsuccessfully for Fayette County recorder of deeds in 1999.