Man Fatally Shoots Wife In School Parking Lot, Kills Another Woman Before Shooting Himself

A man fatally shot his wife in the parking lot of a middle school in Delaware following an argument Tuesday. He also killed another woman at a separate location before shooting himself during a police chase, police said Wednesday.

The 47-year-old suspect and his wife arrived at Smyrna Middle School at around 10:25 a.m. ET Tuesday in the woman's car to pick up their daughter for a medical appointment. The couple got out of the vehicle and reportedly had a verbal argument in the school's parking lot. The man then pulled the victim into the vehicle and shot her, police said in a news release.

A school resource officer administered first aid to the woman but she did not survive, Delaware Online reported.

The man fled the scene in his wife's vehicle and switched to his own car that was parked nearby, police said. The Delaware police troopers located his vehicle at around 11:00 a.m. but could not stop him. He fled to Maryland but was pursued by the state police. The chase continued until he crashed his vehicle into a tree. He then shot himself. The suspect was then taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead.

During the investigation, police got information that there could be another victim, who was an acquaintance of the suspect's wife. The investigators found a 21-year-old woman with apparent gunshot wounds inside an apartment. She was pronounced dead at the scene. It was not clear when the man shot her.

The police have not revealed the identities of the victims or the suspect. They are investigating the incident as a case of suspected murder-suicide. The motive behind the murders is not known.

The couple and the 21-year-old victim lived in the same neighborhood. Neighbors said the couple was having some problems and the man had suicidal thoughts. He was arrested in February after a domestic incident.

A neighbor said the victim once told them that her husband would kill her. "She was afraid of him. You could see it in her eyes. She could not stay still. She was shaking," the neighbor told Delaware Online.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.