JESSUP, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Authorities say a Jessup father and daughter found dead inside their home Monday were killed in a murder-suicide.<\/p>\n
The Lackawanna County District Attorney\u2019s Office identified the victims as 68-year-old Anthony Bruno and his 32-year-old daughter, Samantha Bruno.<\/p>\n
The new details were released Wednesday during a news conference in Jessup, two days after police were called to the home on Lane Street for a welfare check. Authorities previously said both victims were found inside the second-floor master bedroom<\/p>\n
Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher said investigators determined Samantha shot her father twice in the head, killing him, before killing the family dog and turning the firearm on herself.<\/p>\n
Gallagher said investigators also found that Samantha had a history of addiction and mental illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that addiction and mental illness do not automatically make someone violent,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cThey should never be stigmatized in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he said families need to take certain warning signs seriously, particularly when someone is experiencing an escalating crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a person is experiencing a serious escalating crisis, particularly when they make threats, display dangerous behavior, express suicidal ideations or have access to firearms, we have to take those warning signs seriously,\u201d Gallagher said.<\/p>\n
Gallagher urged people who are concerned about a loved one not to remain silent or try to manage a potentially dangerous situation on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not attempt to handle a violent situation alone,\u201d he said. \u201cReach out to law enforcement. Reach out to the medical professionals or one of the crisis response organizations that are littered throughout Lackawanna County.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessup Police Chief Eddie Boettcher said police were dispatched to 367 Lane Street around 11:04 a.m. Monday after the family requested the welfare check.<\/p>\n
Boettcher said Anthony, who operated a mechanic shop in Peckville, had not been seen or heard from since Thursday.<\/p>\n
Samantha also had not been heard from since Thursday, when her vehicle broke down and her mother gave her a ride, according to police.<\/p>\n
When officers arrived, the home was locked. Anthony\u2019s son was eventually able to enter through a window, but officers found interior doors barricaded with a chair.<\/p>\n
The master bedroom was also locked, and firefighters assisted police in gaining access.<\/p>\n
State Police forensic investigators were called to the scene and collected several firearms as evidence, including a .38 Special revolver, a 9mm handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun.<\/p>\n
Boettcher said all of the firearms recovered inside the home belonged to Anthony. He said the shotgun was in Samantha\u2019s possession.<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s dog was also found dead inside the residence. Authorities said the coroner\u2019s investigation remains ongoing and toxicology results are pending.<\/p>\n
Boettcher said the incident has been difficult for the close-knit borough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not something they\u2019re used to here,\u201d Boettcher said. \u201cWhether they knew him or not, I think they\u2019re reeling from it, upset that a small town like this could see something like this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the case also highlights the broader mental health crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental health is a major issue in this country right now and Jessup is not immune to that,\u201d Boettcher said.<\/p>\n
Gallagher echoed that message, saying people should be willing to talk openly about addiction, mental illness and crises happening within their own families.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking for help is not weakness,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cReaching out is not betraying a loved one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said early intervention can potentially protect both the person experiencing a crisis and their family.<\/p>\n
Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JESSUP, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Authorities say a Jessup father and daughter found dead inside their home Monday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-264242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}