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