BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Two people died of gunshot wounds Friday night in what authorities are describing as an apparent murder-suicide death investigation.
Police were called about 10:15 p.m. to a home in the 200 block of 10th Avenue in Bethlehem.
In the basement they found a 39-year-old woman fatally shot and a 42-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds, city police said. A firearm also was recovered.
Authorities have identified the victims but have yet to release their names.
Two juveniles and an older adult who were in the home at the time were safely removed by officers, police said. The adult was in a separate part of the home and seemed to be unaware of the shooting, police said. That adult is not considered a suspect, according to police.
Police were alerted to the shooting shortly after a third child was dropped off at the home following a playdate, according to a police statement.
"The child entered the home, then returned outside (to the adult who had dropped them off) and reported a serious issue had just occurred inside the residence," police said.
The three juveniles were identified as the children of the deceased adults, police said.
The 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead in the home at 11:22 p.m.
The 42-year-old man was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill, where he was pronounced dead at 11:39 p.m., Coroner Daniel Buglio said in a statement.
Police said the three children were placed in the care of family members.
“Out of respect for the tragic nature of this incident and to allow the families time to grieve privately, their names will not be released until the completion of the autopsies,” Buglio said.
The autopsies will be completed Monday, he said.
Besides the coroner’s office, Bethlehem police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.
