A man shot and killed his ex-wife before turning the firearm on himself during an apparent murder-suicide in her Connecticut home, where two of their three children were also present, police said.
Authorities were called to the residence in Ansonia, tucked in the 100 block of Westfield Avenue, early Thursday to investigate reports of a serious assault, NBC Connecticut reported.
When they arrived on the scene around 5 a.m., officers found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. They have since been identified as 45-year-old Miguelina Lebron and her ex-husband, 47-year-old Yanis Tavarez.
Police said Tavarez forced his way inside the home in the early hours of the morning and confronted Lebron before shooting her several times in the torso. She was rushed to an area hospital, where she died from her wounds a short time later.
Tavarez, meanwhile, suffered a gunshot wound to the head, which appeared to be self-inflicted, the New Haven Register reported. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Authorities confirmed Tavarez and Lebron were a divorced couple who shared three children together. Two of them, both teenagers, were home when the shooting occurred, but neither of them were injured. Police said the third child had left for work before Tavarez showed up.
Lebron and her children had been living at the residence since March, police said, and before that, they lived in Milford.
Ansonia Police Chief Wayne Williams during a press conference Thursday evening described the shooting as “a senseless crime of domestic violence.” He noted that over the course of the last 20 years, more than 300 people across Connecticut have died in domestic violence incidents.
“This tragedy serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the serious impact of domestic violence in our society,” the police chief said. “Domestic violence is a critical issue that affects individuals and families from all walks of life.”
Ansonia police Lt. Patrick Lynch added that officers are still working to understand what happened, including what exactly triggered the shooting.
“The investigation is active and ongoing; however, this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public,” Lynch said.
Police said they have no prior history or interactions with the family.