A Bucks County father shot and killed his 8-year-old son in an apparent murder-suicide, police say

A Bucks County father shot and killed his 8-year-old son on Thursday night then turned the gun on himself, police say, in what law enforcement officials are investigating as a murder-suicide.

Lower Makefield Township Police went to conduct a wellness check at a home on the 500 block of Heritage Oak Drive just after 6 p.m. and found an unresponsive boy lying on the living room floor, according to police. His father, 47, was lying on the couch, they said.

Officials identified the two as Joseph Rozario, and his son, Fabian.

Both were later pronounced dead of gunshot wounds to the head, according to the Bucks County Coroner’s Office.

Lower Makefield Police Chief Kenneth Coluzzi said no one else was home at the time of the shooting, and that officers at the scene recovered a handgun.

“From what we could determine from the crime scene it’s clear that it’s a murder-suicide at this point,” Coluzzi told reporters. “A father … shot his son.”

Fabian attended Afton Elementary in the Pennsbury School District and was in the fourth grade, the district said in an email Wednesday. Grief counseling will be available for students over the weekend.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and understanding during this tragic time,” Superintendent Thomas A. Smith wrote to the school community. “In times of grief, our community can find strength in unity.”

The family has lived in Lower Makefield for four years. Officers have reached out to the boy’s mother in an effort to learn if domestic problems preceded the shooting. Investigators also have spoken with neighbors, many of whom are still grappling with the aftermath of a recent flood that killed five people and left two children missing in nearby Upper Makefield.

“We just had a lot of tragedy in Upper Makefield and Lower Makefield with the flooding and the children being lost,” Coluzzi said. “Now we have another tragedy that we’re dealing with.”