A Harrisville man has been charged with attempted homicide, related to the shooting and stabbing of two people in a West Liberty home.

State police charged Gary F. Sweesy, 47, of Harrisville, with the crime as well as three other felonies, including two counts of aggravated assault and one count of burglary.

Police also charged Sweesy with five misdemeanors, including two counts of simple assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of terroristic threats.

Following a man-hunt that led to his arrest Saturday, Sweesy was arraigned by District Judge Lewis Stoughton and placed in Butler County Prison without bond.

Stoughton listed the reason as Sweesy being a “danger to society” in court documents.

According to charging documents, police were called around 9:37 a.m. Saturday to a home on the 100 block of Smith Road in West Liberty.

Police said when they arrived, they found a woman, 46, with a gunshot wound to her upper back and a man, 52, who had a stab wound to his back.

The woman was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and the man was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of their injuries.

“Both victims identified Gary F. Sweesy, who fled the residence on foot and (was) armed with a semi-automatic long rifle,” said the investigating trooper.

Police said the woman was later interviewed at the hospital, and she noted that she and her boyfriend, the man who was stabbed, lived at the home together.

She told officers Sweesy had been staying at their home since Thursday, but on Saturday Sweesy started an argument about missing personal items.

“Sweesy retrieved a rifle from nearby and followed her down a hallway,” police said. “Sweesy pressed the muzzle of the rifle into her back and stated, 'Don't think I won't do it,' and then shot her.”

According to interviews with police, the boyfriend then woke up after the shot was fired and managed to force Sweesy to drop the rifle. Police said during the fight, Sweesy pulled out a knife and stabbed the boyfriend in the back.

According to police, the fight continued until the boyfriend managed to lock Sweesy out of the home. Police said during this time the woman was able to call 911 and told Sweesy this when he broke back into the home.

“Sweesy forced his way into the residence through a locked rear door and eventually fled the residence on foot with his belongings,” police said.

Police then began the search for Sweesy, which included multiple other police units and a helicopter. Police found and arrested him around 2 p.m. near Smith Road.

An alert was sent out to Slippery Rock University students and faculty claiming Sweesy, whose name was unknown at the time, was armed, dangerous and on the run.

On Sunday, multiple neighbors said they were told by state police to stay in their homes and lock the doors.

One neighbor said they weren't really afraid because almost all his neighbors owned guns and could defend themselves, if needed.

Dan McDeavitt lives in a home close to the trailer where the incident occurred. He said he was home during the alleged shooting and stabbing, and he was only alerted to the incident as state police were arriving.

“I never heard any shooting,” McDeavitt said.

“They seemed like nice people,” he said.

McDeavitt said he began renting the trailer to the couple about two months ago, and they haven't caused him any problems until now.

McDeavitt said police asked him to lock the rental up after they were finished, at which point he noticed the back door had been kicked in. He said he didn't want to intrude on a crime scene, so he hadn't been inside to survey the damage yet.

McDeavitt said he believed neither of the two renters had returned from the hospital as of Sunday.

According to witnesses at the scene, Sweesy was caught in the woods along Church Road, about 1.5 miles away from the scene.

Sweesy was seen exiting a police cruiser shirtless and pantless, wearing only his underwear, as he was directed into an ambulance that then left the scene.

State police also confirmed the gun used in the shooting may have been stolen from a Harrisville woman earlier in the week.

According to a police report, a Harrisville woman reported her 9 mm pistol and an AR-15 rifle as stolen between 7 p.m. Thursday and 2:30 p.m. Friday.

“At least one of the firearms reported stolen has been recovered in connection with another ongoing investigation,” the news release said.

A preliminary hearing for Sweesy is scheduled Sept. 22 before District Judge William O'Donnell.