Woman shot and killed in Montgomery County drive-thru in what police say was a targeted attack

A woman was shot and killed in front of her 11-year-old son as they waited in a Dunkin’ drive-thru in Cheltenham on Tuesday morning, authorities said, in a crime police are calling a targeted attack.

Rachel King, 35, of Elkins Park, was shot multiple times at the drive-thru entrance of the Dunkin’ at Melrose Shopping Center on East Cheltenham Avenue, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement.

Cheltenham Township Police responded shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday and found King dead behind the wheel of her Ford Edge SUV, which had stopped on a parking island near the Dunkin’. Her son, who was in the back seat, was not injured, authorities said.

After reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses and conducting interviews, investigators were able to trace King’s last moments before the slaying.

King was seen driving westbound on Cheltenham Avenue before turning into the shopping center and pulling into the drive-thru lane, authorities said. A light-colored sedan that appeared to be a Ford or Mercury was seen driving behind King’s car before parking near the drive-through lane.

A man was seen getting out of the light-colored sedan and approaching the driver’s side of King’s car and firing multiple shots through the window before getting back into the sedan and fleeing eastbound on Cheltenham Avenue, authorities said.

Steele said the killing appeared to be a “targeted murder.” The gunman didn’t speak to King as he approached her or try to open the door of her vehicle before he shot her, Steele said.

The shooter has a thin build and was wearing light-colored pants and a dark, hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, authorities said.

Authorities did not immediately release information about a possible motive.

King was a seven- and eighth-grade history teacher at Grover Cleveland Mastery Charter School in Tioga, where she had worked for 10 years. Classes were dismissed early Tuesday, at 1:45 p.m.

Yvette Núñez, chief external affairs officer for Mastery Charter Schools, described King’s death as a tremendous loss for her students and colleagues.

“Our school community is devastated by the loss,” Núñez said. “She was a beloved teacher, a member of our faculty for the last 10 years. We are working with students, staff, and families to make sure that there are supports provided to support their grieving process.”

There will be on-site counseling services available for students at the school on Wednesday, and classes will have a delayed start at 10:10 a.m, Núñez said.

King’s 11-year-old son was a student in the Cheltenham School District, District Superintendent Brian W. Scriven wrote in a statement in which he urged students who need support to seek counseling.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Cheltenham Township Police Department at 215-885-1600 (Ext. 400) or Montgomery County Detectives at 610-226-5553. Tipsters may also call the Montgomery County Detective Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3648), and anonymous text tips can be submitted using MontcoCrimeTips on the STOPit! app.