2 wounded in shooting at New Kensington fraternal club

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. — Two men were wounded Wednesday night in a shooting in a fraternal club in Westmoreland County, according to police.

New Kensington police didn't immediately release the names of the victims, or say whether they have a suspect in the shootings at the IBPOE Lodge No. 294.

Police said one of the victims was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, and the other was driven in a private vehicle. Both were in stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

The lodge shares a parking lot with Wholesale Transmission, whose owner told

that the lodge has been a problem for him for years, and that he believes the issues are escalating.

“We own half and they own half, and it makes it hard to do business here,” said Mike DiFrancesca. “The last two and a half weeks I put in four or five 911 calls about the drug deals that happen all day long, and it's the Elks members that bring the problems in."

Police are also investigating another shooting Saturday night in a parking lot near the same club. It is not clear whether the shootings are related, and police haven't discussed a possible motive.

DiFrancesca said he won’t be doing business with the IBPOE Lodge much longer.

“We bought a building four blocks away to get away from the Elks and how bad it is,” he said.

The lodge has reopened.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for the latest on this developing story.

Associated Press