A family shootout in Pennsylvania on Friday left four dead.
Josephine Ruckinger, 43, accompanied by her husband Jeffrey Ruckinger, 43, reportedly entered her family's Allegheny Township house Friday night, with the intention of commiting murder, according to Pennsylvania's Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan.
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"Clearly, these two individuals came to this house to carry out a plan, a deadly attack on this family," Callihan said. "I would characterize it as a home invasion that was a murder plot. They came armed and ready to commit murder."
The intended targets of Ruckinger's apparent rage were her own mother, father, and brother. The three were watching television after returning home from dinner out,
WJAC-TV reported.
Police believe 64-year-old Roberta Frew first met the couple at the door. She had not seen her estranged daughter for 20 years.
"We believe she cried out something along the effect of 'Oh my god they have guns,' at this time gunfire erupted," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper John Matchik told WJAC-TV.
Josephine allegedly shot her mother in the chest before aiming her gun at her brother, John Frew Jr., and shooting him as well. The brother had been reportedly attempting to lunge for a nearby rifle at the time he was shot,
WeAreCentralPA.com reported.
Hearing the gun shots from another part of the house, John Frew Sr. reportedly ran to his bedroom, grabbed his rifle and rushed to the front door, where he proceeded to shoot and kill the two intruders.
Police did not believe the father was aware that he was shooting his estranged daughter and son-in-law, considering he had not seen the pair in two decades.
"What we are lead to believe, at this point, he had no idea that was his daughter until after the fact, after everything unfolded," Matchik added. "Mr. Frew Sr. has been very cooperative in this particular situation. We've made no arrests and it's an ongoing, fluid investigation."
Police have characterized John Frew Sr.'s shooting of his daughter and her husband as an act of self-defense at this point, WJAC-TV reported.
"He used deadly fire of his own life and tried to save his family's," Callihan said.
After the shooting, police searched the suspects' car and recovered a substantial amount of ammunition, a gas can, and charcoal lighter fluid, WeAreCentralPA.com reported.
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