After House Awarded to Ex, Man Tries to Kill Her

'Extremely tense' day in Pa. ends with suspect, his parents dead
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 20, 2018 1:40 PM CDT
After House Awarded to Ex, Man Tries to Kill Her
Police arrive after a deadly shooting at Bellingham Retirement Community in East Goshen Township. Pa., on Wednesday.   (Pete Bannan/Daily Local News via AP)

The hunt for a Pennsylvania man who cops say shot at his ex-wife, then gunned down his elderly parents on Wednesday is over. Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan told reporters Thursday that 59-year-old Bruce Rogal had crashed his minivan into his ex-wife's home earlier that morning, and that he was found dead, NBC Philadelphia reports. "The last five or six hours were extremely tense," Hogan said. "Everyone knew that we had a killer out, and a killer could kill again." Hogan said that Rogal's reportedly murderous Wednesday began when he received a final divorce order saying the former family home in West Bradford Township was to be turned over to his ex, per Action News. Shortly before 6 that evening, cops say Rogal showed up at that house and shot at his ex, who was changing her car's oil in the driveway. She escaped injury.

Rogal's next alleged victims, however, weren't so lucky. Police say he left his ex's house and headed to a senior living center in East Goshen Township, where he shot and killed his parents, William and Nancy Rogal, both in their late 80s. A manhunt was soon underway, with at least 16 local schools locked down. Cops spotted him around 1am Thursday, and a car chase ensued, ending with Rogal back at his ex-wife's house, into which he crashed his car. There was then "an exchange of gunfire" with cops—Action News says it hasn't been confirmed if Rogal actually fired any shots—and Rogal was pronounced dead at the scene. It hasn't been said whether he was shot by police or died of a self-inflicted wound. "Bruce Rogal is dead. There is no ongoing threat in Chester County," Hogan posted on Facebook shortly after. (More Pennsylvania stories.)

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