Daryl Benway of Massachusetts shot his 7 and 9 year-old children, then himself – One child survived
Forty-one year-old Daryl Benway of Massacusetts shot his seven year-old daughter and nine year-old son before turning the gun on himself. The boy, Owen, was found alive on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Recently separated, his wife Kelleen had been out and came home to find police cars surrounding the home.
Along with being separated, Daryl Benway was apparently also unemployed. His wife Kelleen earlier had posted on Facebook it was time she took control of her life.
Evidently a thunderstorm had masked the sound of the gunshots, though a neighbor eventually phoned police. An alleged acquaintance of Daryl Benway's took to Twitter to state his disbelief. Based upon other reports it's possible the employment information is no longer accurate.
According to Benway's Facebook page, he worked for TJX Companies, which owns retail stores including TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Friends who have written on his profile expressed loss and confusion. Some wrote that they think he's innocent.
Twitter user @Zaackaattack, whose profile says he's from Oxford, wrote, "I can't believe he killed his kids. I've known him my whole life. NEVER would have expected it. It's a #madworld."
Yahoo News has more, as does the local paper, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. A family photo here.
Earlier in the day, Mrs. Benway had posted on her Facebook page, “It's about time I took control of my own life.” That was at 11:45 a.m.
Daryl Benway, 41, a Massachusetts man shot two of his children, killing his 7-year-old, before he turned gun on himself and committed suicide, police said.
Comments:
I am disgusted with parents who do this. How much hatred and self pity. They make me sick.
Who is that woman, and why is she in handcuffs?
I believe it is the Mother. I saw the local paper took the picture down. Evidently she needed to be restrained. It’s possible she wouldn’t leave the crime scene. My guess would be it was the safest thing to do for her own protection at that point. I posted it as I’ve seen few images capture such raw, incredible, though tremendously sad emotion. It’s heart-wrenching to see and imagine what she was thinking, how much she must have been suffering at that moment.
Tragic, all around.+
If they put handcuffs on that woman because she was distraught and wouldn’t leave the scene where her children were shot, then the cops need MUCH better training. It’s unconscionable to do that to a mother who is in shock and is grieving. Absolutely unacceptable inhuman behavior on the part of the police.
The handcuffs could also be to keep her from hurting herself! Sometimes its the only choice you have a s policeman otherwise, you would be blaming them for not keeping her from hurting or perhaps killing herself in their presence.