Philadelphia couple dead in apparent murder-suicide

Police say a 28-year-old man apparently fatally shot his 30-year-old girlfriend then himself in their West Philadelphia home Saturday night while their three young children were in the house. Earlier reports that the couple were married were incorrect.

According to neighbors, their children are ages 11, 4 and 3.

According to police, officers responding to a report of a person with a gun at the home on the 6200 block of Webster Street shortly before 11 p.m. were told a man had shot his girlfriend and was upstairs along with their children.

The gunman did not respond to several police attempts to talk to him, so a barricade was established until SWAT officers arrived. Police removed the children from the home through a rear second-floor window about 11:15 p.m. The bodies of both adults were found in the second-floor hallway.

The children appeared uninjured but were taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for evaluation, police said.

Police have not yet released the couple's names.

"It's just tragic. They were young people. It's just sad," said a 25-year resident of the block.

The man, who did not want his name published to protect his privacy, said he often saw the wife pushing a baby stroller and walking the older children to school. He said the couple were friendly, and he never saw evidence of friction between them.

Mary Dukes, 85, who lives two houses from the couple, said the husband often helped her carry shopping bags from her car to her front door.  "If he saw me getting out of the car with a bag he would say, 'I got that Ms. Dukes.' He was a nice, kind, young man," she said. "I wouldn't expect [violence from] him."

Dukes said hearing the gunshots between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. startled and frightened her. "I locked the door and didn't go near the window," she said. "It's really, really depressing. They were very nice people. That's all I can say about them."