A Facebook Post Turns Into A Car Wash Massacre

[Melcroft, Pennsylvania]

25 year old Chelsea Cline shared a sarcastic post on her Facebook that joked, “After this week, I rlly (sic) need to get taken out … on a date or by a sniper either one is fine w me at this point.” A man by the name of Tim Smith (28) commented saying “I could do both.”

According to one of Chelsie’s relatives, she had a brief relationship with Tim, but it didn’t work out so she cut things off months prior.

However, he would still make attempts to show his love by leaving items on top of her car when she got off work or sending her flowers when he learned she was sick. Chelsie didn’t acknowledge the nice gestures like he expected which turned Tim’s feelings from a hopeless romantic to jealous and spiteful.

Chelsie started hanging out with a new man named William Porterfield (27) in the weeks before her death. He was married with a child on the way. His wife admitted that they were having marital troubles that were jeopardizing the relationship. She knew that he was spending a lot of his free time with Chelsie.

On January 30th, 2018, six days after the Facebook exchange, Chelsie and William rode to a self serve car wash called Ed’s Car Wash in a silver Dodge Stratus. Chelsie’s half brother, Seth (21), Courtney Snyder (23), and another unidentified female, pulled in minutes behind them driving a green pickup truck.

Unbeknownst to the five people, Tim Smith already parked his car on the side of the car wash and waited for his prey. He was armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, a 9mm handgun and a .308 rifle. As William and Chelsie exited the vehicle and rounded the corner, they were gunned down at close range. Then Tim approached Seth, Courtney, and the friend who were still sitting inside of the green truck.

There was little to no time to comprehend what was happening or try to escape. Tim shot them at close range, but the unidentified friend escaped with minor injuries because she hid in the backseat and slipped out of the door after he turned his back.

After massacring four people, Tim shot himself in the head.

Police arrived on scene to find him protected by body armor and severely bleeding. He was alive when paramedics transported him to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries a few hours later. All four victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Chelsie’s cousin said, “She didn’t seem at all afraid of him. I just don’t understand what happened.”

William’s wife, Jenna Porterfield, told news reporters, “I’m not holding that against Will. We weren’t fighting. We were fixing. And if he was with someone else while we were having problems, honestly, I don’t care what he did. I’m not going to hold that against him. I’d give anything to have him back.”