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Poconos schools closed due to manhunt for suspect in trooper killing

Some schools in the Poconos are closed today due to the ongoing manhunt for the suspected gunman who shot two state police troopers in an ambush attack, killing one and wounding the other.

The Pocono Mountain School District says all schools in the district are closed today "due to safety concerns for our students at bus stops with an armed and dangerous gunman still on the loose in the area."

The Wallenpaupack Area School District also said it would not hold classes today, as did Monsignor McHugh School, a Catholic school in Cresco. Another Cresco school, the Evergreen Community Charter School, is also closed, the Pocono Record reports.

Authorities are searching for 31-year-old Eric Matthew Frein, who police say fatally shot Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson outside barracks in Blooming Grove in Pike County on Friday. Trooper Alex Douglass was injured.

Police described Frein as a "survivalist" and said he had made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers. He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer, and attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer.

Frein, who lived with his parents in Canadensis, Monroe County, is considered extremely dangerous and armed with a high-powered rifle.

Law enforcement officials are canvasing the region in the hunt for him.

Police described Frein as about 6 feet 1 inch tall, 165 pounds, and having blue eyes.