A retired NYPD detective fatally shot his wife, then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide while their three kids were in their Westchester County home, police said Wednesday.
Sean O’Neill, 54, apparently fired multiple shots at his wife, Arlene O’Neill, a fifth-grade teacher on Chittenden Avenue, then shot himself once in the head after a dispute just past 7 a.m., Yonkers police said in a statement.
Emergency responders tried to save 47-year-old Arlene O’Neill, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, cops said.
“The couple has three children who were home at the time of the incident but were physically unharmed,” police said in a statement. “They are currently in the custody of family members.”
Arlene O’Neill was a teacher at Anne Hutchinson School in the Eastchester Union Free School District, superintendent Ronald D. Valenti said in a message to parents.
All three of the couple’s children are students in the district.
“The EUFSD is shocked and saddened by this development, and has mobilized the district crisis
team, as well as resources from neighboring districts including Bronxville and Southern
Westchester BOCES in order to provide comfort to students, faculty and other staff members as
they process this news,” Valenti said in the letter.
Sean O’Neill was working as a detective at the time of his retirement last year, sources said. He had joined the department in 1993 and worked in the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which incluedes members of the NYPD and FBI, the sources added.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
