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| Shooting in Westerly, Rhode Island, Leaves 2 Dead, Including Gunman | Shooting in Westerly, Rhode Island, Leaves 2 Dead, Including Gunman |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A 66-year-old resident at a housing complex in Westerly, R.I., shot two employees and a neighbor on Thursday, setting off a manhunt before he was found dead in his room, the police said. | A 66-year-old resident at a housing complex in Westerly, R.I., shot two employees and a neighbor on Thursday, setting off a manhunt before he was found dead in his room, the police said. |
| All three victims were women. One, a 47-year-old who worked at the complex, was killed. Another employee, 38, was in critical condition and was being transferred to a hospital in New Haven. The third, a 67-year-old resident, was stable after surgery, Chief Shawn Lacey of the Westerly Police Department said at a news conference. | All three victims were women. One, a 47-year-old who worked at the complex, was killed. Another employee, 38, was in critical condition and was being transferred to a hospital in New Haven. The third, a 67-year-old resident, was stable after surgery, Chief Shawn Lacey of the Westerly Police Department said at a news conference. |
| The victims were not immediately identified pending family notification. The authorities did not identify the gunman or any motive for the attack, which unfolded at Babcock Village, a housing complex that offers affordable housing for older adults and people with disabilities. | The victims were not immediately identified pending family notification. The authorities did not identify the gunman or any motive for the attack, which unfolded at Babcock Village, a housing complex that offers affordable housing for older adults and people with disabilities. |
| Officers arriving on the scene pulled surveillance camera footage to identify the suspect and entered his room with a master key, Chief Lacey said. The man was found in the room with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The authorities said they recovered a weapon at the scene. | Officers arriving on the scene pulled surveillance camera footage to identify the suspect and entered his room with a master key, Chief Lacey said. The man was found in the room with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The authorities said they recovered a weapon at the scene. |
| Angelo Fusaro, 65, a resident at the complex, said he had been in his third-floor apartment when he heard a shot and a scream. Rushing to a window in the hallway, which looks down on the lobby, he saw a complex employee lying on the floor. Nearby was another victim, a resident in her 60s, who was bleeding from the neck. | Angelo Fusaro, 65, a resident at the complex, said he had been in his third-floor apartment when he heard a shot and a scream. Rushing to a window in the hallway, which looks down on the lobby, he saw a complex employee lying on the floor. Nearby was another victim, a resident in her 60s, who was bleeding from the neck. |
| “It was horrible,” Mr. Fusaro said. The police soon arrived, saw him in the window and ordered him to come down the elevator with his hands up. | “It was horrible,” Mr. Fusaro said. The police soon arrived, saw him in the window and ordered him to come down the elevator with his hands up. |
| When Mr. Fusaro stepped into the elevator, he saw shell casings. “I could smell the gunpowder,” he said. The gunman, he later realized, had fled back to his apartment after the shooting. | When Mr. Fusaro stepped into the elevator, he saw shell casings. “I could smell the gunpowder,” he said. The gunman, he later realized, had fled back to his apartment after the shooting. |
| The employee who was killed had recently started working there, Mr. Fusaro said. He described her as a conscientious worker who took residents’ complaints seriously. | The employee who was killed had recently started working there, Mr. Fusaro said. He described her as a conscientious worker who took residents’ complaints seriously. |
| “She was a nice person, great person,” he said. “It’s pretty awful.” | “She was a nice person, great person,” he said. “It’s pretty awful.” |
| The shooting prompted a two-hour lockdown at schools in Westerly, a waterfront town on the southern shore of Rhode Island, near the Connecticut border. Residents reported a heavy police presence, including armored trucks and helicopters, as the authorities searched for the suspect. | The shooting prompted a two-hour lockdown at schools in Westerly, a waterfront town on the southern shore of Rhode Island, near the Connecticut border. Residents reported a heavy police presence, including armored trucks and helicopters, as the authorities searched for the suspect. |
| The complex’s owner, Affordable Housing Strategies, and its manager, Property Advisory Group, said in a joint statement that company officials were “shocked and saddened that this tragedy has occurred.” | The complex’s owner, Affordable Housing Strategies, and its manager, Property Advisory Group, said in a joint statement that company officials were “shocked and saddened that this tragedy has occurred.” |
| “Our foremost priority is the safety of our residents and staff,” the statement said. “We are working with law enforcement to address this situation, and further questions should be referred to the Westerly Police and Rhode Island State Police.” | “Our foremost priority is the safety of our residents and staff,” the statement said. “We are working with law enforcement to address this situation, and further questions should be referred to the Westerly Police and Rhode Island State Police.” |
| The Connecticut State Police dispatched troopers along the border and in the town of Stonington, Conn., which sits next to Westerly, to help with the investigation, a spokeswoman said. | The Connecticut State Police dispatched troopers along the border and in the town of Stonington, Conn., which sits next to Westerly, to help with the investigation, a spokeswoman said. |
| The Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that special agents from the bureau’s Providence office were on the scene to help the local police. | |
| Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island said in a statement that “I stand with the people of Westerly and all Rhode Islanders in coming together to support the victims and their families during this difficult time.” | Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island said in a statement that “I stand with the people of Westerly and all Rhode Islanders in coming together to support the victims and their families during this difficult time.” |
| Jacquelyn Smith, an administrator at Christ Episcopal Church, about a mile from the shooting, said the church had been locked down afterward. Seven people were there at the time. | Jacquelyn Smith, an administrator at Christ Episcopal Church, about a mile from the shooting, said the church had been locked down afterward. Seven people were there at the time. |
| As they waited for an all-clear, they alerted neighbors, friends and relatives about the shooting, she added. | As they waited for an all-clear, they alerted neighbors, friends and relatives about the shooting, she added. |
| “We’re all as concerned about ourselves as we are our community and the people in it,” she said. | “We’re all as concerned about ourselves as we are our community and the people in it,” she said. |
| Town Councilor Karen A. Cioffi said Babcock Village was a “normally quiet” public housing complex on Cross Street, about eight blocks from her home. | Town Councilor Karen A. Cioffi said Babcock Village was a “normally quiet” public housing complex on Cross Street, about eight blocks from her home. |
| “I have been here 26 years and I’ve never heard of an active shooter,” Ms. Cioffi said. “We train for it all the time, but this is probably a first for us. It’s shocking.” | “I have been here 26 years and I’ve never heard of an active shooter,” Ms. Cioffi said. “We train for it all the time, but this is probably a first for us. It’s shocking.” |
| Derrick Bryson Taylor and Robert Liguori contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research. | Derrick Bryson Taylor and Robert Liguori contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research. |