Child killed, man found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound in Warwick home
WARWICK – The bodies of a small child and a man who had apparently shot himself were found inside a Wildes Corner home on Thursday, the police said.
Police discovered the scene after they were told a child had been shot and the shooter was still inside the house with a gun, according to Warwick's police chief, Col. Brad Connor.
The first news of the deaths, which one police officer described as "horrific," came with few details out of respect for the families involved.
But within hours, community leaders were bracing for a wave of public grief over the violent death of a preschool-age child.
The ripples of disbelief and anguish reached into the State House, where House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, opened the House session on Thursday with these words:
"Our collective hearts are broken. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the young child who tragically lost his life."
Police respond at 8:24 a.m. to home on Frawley Street
The shooting drew a full-blown police tactical response to a saltbox home with unpainted wood shingles on Frawley Street, not far from Veterans Middle School, where a shelter-in-place order was issued.
Police officers went to the home at 8:24 a.m. and by 11 a.m. reports from the scene were spreading sadness.
In the news release, Connor and the members of his department offered their "deepest condolences to the family members and those affected by this senseless and unimaginable act."
A 58-year-old woman who lives on Frawley Street, Ana Perez, checked the video recorded by a surveillance camera on her property.
'He killed my son ... '
It showed a woman who was upset and repeating herself, saying, "He killed my son. He killed my son."
The child had been a student at Warwick Early Learning Center, according to Warwick schools Supt. Lynn Dambruch, who also referred to the situation as "horrific."
"Today is a dark day for our school district and it will be a tough few days for many," the chairman of the Warwick School Committee, Shaun Galligan, wrote in an open letter.
In a post on Facebook, Mayor Frank Picozzi said that the city had "suffered a devastating tragedy of the worst kind."
Warwick's police officers and firefighters were affected by the situation, he said.
"I could see it in their eyes," he said. "I'm certainly struggling with it myself."
Picozzi asked that residents give some special attention to any officer or firefighter they might encounter in their travels.
"Throw them a wave," he said, "or give them a thank you."
Late Thursday afternoon, Warwick police said they had no more information to disclose about the case.
With a report by Staff Writer Katherine Gregg
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Warwick police find two dead at Frawley Street home
