D.A.: Murder-suicide outside Chesco YMCA
A man fatally shot his estranged girlfriend and then committed suicide Monday evening near a busy YMCA in Chester County, the district attorney said.
A man fatally shot his estranged girlfriend and then committed suicide Monday evening near a busy YMCA in Chester County, the district attorney said.
About 6 p.m., police responded to reports of a shooting outside the YMCA in West Brandywine Township and found the woman dead in a parking lot about 100 yards from the building, said Chester County District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan.
The man was still at the scene, and police ordered him to show his hands. "He then fired a shot into his own head, killing himself," Hogan said.
"This was a domestic situation," said Hogan, who declined to further identify the man and woman except to say they had been in a relationship and were estranged.
The YMCA - which had children in day care and after-school activities, and adults working out - was placed on lockdown for about two hours until police determined that there was no further danger.
Hogan praised the YMCA for swiftly securing the building. "They did it exactly right," he said.
Chester County detectives and West Brandywine police were continuing to investigate, Hogan said.
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Inquirer staff writer Jessica Parks contributed to this article.