By Aiyeku Timothy
A man in Pennsylvania, named Jeffrey Spaide shot his neighbours, James Goy and his wife, Lisa Goy, before killing himself on Monday morning over a snow removal dispute, Prosecutors said.
On the same day, a major winter storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow in parts of the Northeast.
Just after the incident, officers were called to West Bergh Street in Plains Township, about 15 miles southwest of Scranton, according to the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.
Shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday, officers responded to a report of shots fired when they found the bodies of the Goys on the street, prosecutors said. Law enforcement officials said they later heard a gun fire from Spaide’s house. Authorities later determined this to be his self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to prosecutors
Surveillance video revealed that Spaide and the Goys were involved in disputes before the deadly encounter, prosecutors said.
The video also showed that the Goys shoveled snow from their parking spots, pushed it across the street and threw it onto Spaide’s property. After Spaide asked the couple to stop throwing snow onto his property, the neighbors got into an argument where they appear to have exchanged obscene gestures and expletives.
While the Goys knew he had a gun, prosecutors said they continued to shout names at him from the middle of the street. Spaide opened fire and shot the Goys before returning to his home to get another gun to deal the killing blow, according to prosecutors.
After killing his neighbours, Spaide went back inside his home where he shot himself as police pulled up to the scene, prosecutors said.
District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said Tuesday that the office affirmed no other suspects were involved and deemed the incident a murder-suicide.
Salavantis said the office will close the case pending a report by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office.
