Suspect in Bensalem Halloween shooting that killed a 14-year-old found dead in Ohio, police say
The 19-year-old was a suspect in the shooting death of Bensalem middle school student Peter Romano
A suspect in the Halloween night shooting death of a 14-year-old Bensalem middle schooler was found dead in Ohio, police said.
Bensalem Police said the man, 19-year-old Sean Hughes, of Morrisville in Bucks County, was found in Marysville, Ohio, on Thursday.
Officers with the Marysville Police Department attempted to pull Hughes, who was in the same stolen vehicle police said was used in the Tuesday evening shooting, over, but he fled on foot.
When officers found Hughes, he had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Bensalem Police.
Marysville Police also arrested another man, 25-year-old Joshua Marquez, who was riding in Hughes’ passenger seat, and charged him with a weapons offense.
William McVey, director of public safety for Bensalem Police, could not confirm whether Marquez was present in Bensalem during the shooting.
“We’re trying to connect these dots to figure this out and see if there were any other individuals in the vehicle that night with [Hughes] or assisted in any way with this murder,” McVey said.
Hughes was a suspect in the shooting death of Bensalem middle schooler Peter Romano. Two other teenagers were injured in the gunfire that erupted after a gathering of around 30 young people turned into a fight, police said.
Romano was a student at Cecelia Snyder Middle School. He was shot in the chest and died at the scene.
Police said that Hughes was found driving the same 2014 Hyundai Elantra used during the Tuesday shooting near Bristol Pike and Woodbine Avenue.
Marysville is located around 30 miles northwest of Columbus. Bensalem Police said they had reported to a national database that the vehicle was stolen from Bristol Township. Alerted to that, Marysville officers tried to stop the car.
Bensalem Police said they were continuing to search for additional suspects who may have aided the planning of the crime, as well as anyone who may have been in Hughes’ vehicle.
“We understand that people in our community are affected emotionally by this tragedy, and some to the extent that they may wish to take the law into their own hands,” the department said in a statement. “This must not happen. If anyone has a tip, a lead, or information regarding this incident, please report it to the Bensalem Township Police Department. We will continue to investigate this homicide so that we can hold all people responsible for it accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”