2 Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide on Penn State Beaver Campus
The female victim, an employee at the school’s dining hall, was shot and killed in a parking lot by her estranged ex-husband.
The victim told campus police that her ex-husband had been harassing her at work.
Two people are dead in what police are calling a murder-suicide in a parking lot at Penn State Beaver.
The victim, identified as 49-year-old Lesli Kelly, was gunned down by her estranged ex-husband William Kelly, who then turned the gun on himself, reports ABC 6. Lesli Kelly was an employee at the school’s dining hall.
State police lieutenant Eric Hermick says an officer heard multiple gunshots and screaming around 4 p.m. Wednesday. When he arrived at the scene, the man and woman were found dead beside her vehicle.
“There was a ruse set up to get her outside of her workplace,” says Hermick.
At approximately 3:56, school officials sent an alert that shots were fired but that the situation was contained.
Penn State Beaver spokeswoman April Johnston-Smith says the campus was closed for the day but not many students were on campus due to finals week.
“I know there’s often panic about college campuses and talk about active shooters, but that’s not the situation,” says Hermick. “It appears to be some type of domestic violence issue here.”
The former couple had recently gotten divorced and was in the midst of a custody dispute over two of their three children, reports Penn Live. The third child is an adult.
The man lured her to the parking lot by saying he had Christmas presents for their children.
William Kelly fired at least eight shots from two semi-automatic handguns, according to Hermick.
Police are investigating where Kelly purchased the guns and say there was no protection from abuse order filed against him.
Lesli Kelly was a chef at the school for 26 years and had recently told campus police that her ex-husband was harassing her at work through texts and phone calls.
The school is a Penn State satellite campus with an estimated 700 students and is located in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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