MOUNT AIRY, Md. (AP) - A Maryland man shot and killed his estranged wife and her neighbor before taking his own life during a standoff with officers, authorities said.
Heather Zujkowski, 36, and Noah Homayouni, 18, were fatally shot Thursday afternoon in Mount Airy, according to a news release from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators believe Joseph Zujkowski, 35, went to Heather Zujkowski’s home and shot her with a rifle before fleeing. Their three children, between the ages 5 to 12, were at the home at the time.
Heather Zujkowski was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found Homayouni mortally wounded in a nearby yard and prepared to fly him to a hospital, but he died before he could be airlifted.
Multiple witnesses identified Joseph Zujkowski as a suspect, Sheriff Jim DeWees told news outlets. A deputy spoke to him on the phone and learned that he was returning to his home in Gaithersburg, where Zujkowski killed himself after a brief standoff with officers, DeWees said.
Joseph and Heather Zujkowski were separated and a protective order against him expired in January.
Their children were physically unharmed, and friends of the family responded to take care of them, the sheriff’s office said.
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