A Scranton man is facing six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he threatened to kill his girlfriend and five children late Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint.
As officers were responding to 1621 Cedar Ave. at about 11 p.m., dispatchers advised them Christopher Cunningham, 31, threatened “suicide by cop” and he was walking toward the front door of the residence with a firearm in a backpack.
According to the criminal complaint:
Multiple Scranton police officers responded to the incident, duty weapons drawn, and ordered Cunningham to comply as he stood at the front door.
Cunningham was detained without incident and transported to Scranton police headquarters.
A search of the home yielded a black backpack near the front door containing a black Glock-19 9 mm handgun, fully loaded with a round chambered and equipped with a green laser sight, which was illuminated when officers found it.
Officers then spoke with Chloe George, noting she is pregnant.
She said the two were arguing throughout the day because he thought she was cheating on him.
Prior to George calling police, she was in bed with her two youngest children, 2 and 3 years old, when Cunningham became enraged and asked if she was coming to bed.
George heard Cunningham retrieve the gun from the case and load it. He then pointed it at her and threatened to kill her and her five children, police said.
Cunningham said if George called police, he was willing to die “in a hail of gunfire” with responding officers, according to arrest papers.
In addition to six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police charged Cunningham with making terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment. He remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on Nov. 18 before District Judge George Seig.