Police Call Lawrenceville Shooting Murder-Suicide
LAWRENCEVILLE (KDKA) - Pittsburgh police say a man shot and killed his wife, and then turned the gun on himself at a Lawrenceville home.
Police describe the scene at the intersection of 46th and Davidson as horrible.
Police say 44-year old Stephanie Byrd had a protection order against her estranged husband 46-year old Bruce Byrd.
They say Stephanie had called Bruce's mother to come over to pickup some of her stuff from her mother-in-law's home. Bruce lives next door to his mother, and got word that his wife was going to be there.
"When she [Stephanie] entered the Carlton Street home, a short time later there were gunshots, a series of three multiple gunshots, 30 to 33 shots were fired," says Lt. Kevin Kraus.
Police say he went next door, and shot Stephanie at least 25 times, before shooting himself.
Witnesses say Stephanie pounded on the window for help before her death.
In a recent Facebook post Bruce wrote on Stephanie's page that "life isn't worth living without you."
Police say it looks like Bruce emptied at least three magazine rounds into the house.
Court documents show that Stephanie Byrd filed a PFA order against her estranged husband in March, writing "my husband has continued to be verbally abusive to me, I feel unsafe seeing, or being in the same house with him."
She claimed her husband threatened to kill her back in 2005. Then, last month, the PFA order was vacated, signed by both parties, it permitted her to retrieve personal items, but, neither was supposed to have contact with the other.
Investigators are unsure whether Byrd was in the house waiting for his wife, or, whether he entered through a back door, after she arrived just before noon.
"They seemed happy, they were both nurses," says neighbor Brandon Friel.
Police said Stephanie worked at UMPC Shadyside Hospital, her estranged husband was unemployed.
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