Mother Charged After Shooting Her 2 Boys; Children Not Expected To Survive, Bucks County DA Says
UPPER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- A mother is charged with the attempted murder of her two children and a 22-year-old neighbor in Bucks County, authorities say. The two boys, ages 13 and 9, will give the gift of life to others as their organs will be donated, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in a press conference on Monday afternoon.
The boys are on life support Monday night, being kept alive to donate their organs through Gift of Life.
Following the organ transplants, his office is prepared to upgrade 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen's charges to two counts of homicide.
"Both children will give the gift of life to others as their organs will be transplanted, once that occurs we will update these charges to two counts of homicide," Weintraub said.
Upper Makefield Township police were called to the 100 block of Timber Ridge Road just after 7 a.m. on Monday.
Weintraub says a 22-year-old neighbor told officers that Nguyen handed him a box of photos and asked him to give it to her ex-husband. When the neighbor turned around to face Nguyen, he saw her pointing a gun at his face, pulling the trigger twice but the gun did not fire.
The neighbor then embraced Nguyen and was able to disarm her before she ran off and fled in a 2018 Toyota Sienna minivan.
Officers spoke with the mother of the 22-year-old neighbor and went inside the home to check on the children. Both boys were found alive in their separate beds suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
The officers rushed them to an area hospital in an attempt to save their lives.
Weintraub says officials at Washington Crossing United Methodist Church alerted police that Nguyen was inside the minivan in the church's parking lot.
Nguyen was apprehended and taken to a local medical center due to the fact that she was under the influence of drugs.
She has since been medically cleared to be arrested.
While detectives look into an official motive, Eyewitness News learned Nguyen was set to be evicted after a judge issued an order of possession on April 14. Court documents show she owed about $11,000 in rent.
Weintraub reacted to the tragedy of what happened.
"I can't speak for anyone else, but I have two kids. It can't hit any closer to home than this," Weintraub said.
Neighbors spoke through tears and muffled voices as they learned what happened right next door. On Monday, crime scene tape surrounded manicured lawns and a white picket fence as officials looked into a gruesome attempted murder.
"It's hard to know what to say when something like this happens," a neighbor said.
"It's sad. We didn't know them well but the kids played in the street. We're neighbors and it's just sad to see a family go through this," a neighbor said.
The Council Rock School District issued a statement, saying in part, "I am deeply saddened to send this communication to you in light of the well-publicized tragedy involving two Council Rock students today. A tragic event is always difficult to process for all of us, especially our children."
CBS3's Alicia Roberts and Jasmine Payoute contributed to this report.