UPDATE @ 2:21 p.m. (Sept. 12):
Hamilton Twp. police Chief Scott Hughes said police had never been to the home at 3041 East U.S. 22, located at the end of a long driveway on property next to the school.
Hughes said he was unaware of any restraining orders issued to keep the couple apart.
“We have information they were trying to get back together,” Hughes said. “At least contemplating getting back together. Unfortunately we deal with domestic situations fairly frequently. To this magnitude, no.”
UPDATE @ 6:53 a.m. (Sept. 12):
Grief counselors will be on hand at Little Miami Schools, the district announced on its Facebook page.
FULL REPORT
The man and woman killed in an apparent murder-suicide Sunday afternoon were identified as a divorced couple, 39-year-old David Garrett and 41-year-old Traci Fletcher-Garrett, said Doyle Burke, chief investigator for the Warren County Coroner’s Office.
Garrett, of Maineville, shot and killed his ex-wife around 2 p.m. Sunday inside her home in the 3400 block of Ohio 3/U.S. 22 near the Hopewell Valley neighborhood and close to Little Miami High School in Hamilton Twp. There were two children in the home, a 15-year-old and 17-year-old. A boy was able to escape while a girl hid in her bedroom, police told our news partner WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
Garrett was holding an assault-style rifle in the driveway when police arrived. He said he had just shot his ex-wife and asked officers to shoot and kill him before he fatally shot himself outside the home, Hamilton Twp. police Chief Scott Hughes told WCPO.
The couple divorced in August 2015. Police do not believe David Garrett was trespassing at the time of the shooting. Hughes said the children are staying with family. Traci Fletcher-Garrett was shot multiple times, Burke said.
“There was some sort of an altercation that occurred based on what we’re being told from the children that were inside the house that led up to this horrific act,” Hughes told WCPO. “But I don’t know exactly what it was or what it was about.”
The incident led to a temporary lockdown at the high school, where a cheerleader practice was among activities taking place. Little Miami schools posted an alert on social media, saying the high school and junior high school campus was on lockdown for an “active shooter,” and that roads are closed in the area. Police also asked residents to stay indoors during the incident, which remains under investigation.
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