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Old 09-30-2013, 08:16   #1
Dusty
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4 PA Family Members Killed in Gunfight

The perps didn't count on the FOG throwin' down...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/30...d-in-gunfight/

A two-decade family feud came to a violent end when a man shot dead the two home invaders that killed his wife and son, not knowing the assailants included his long-estranged daughter, authorities said Sunday.

Though the investigation of Friday's shootings continues, authorities said it appears Josephine and Jeffrey Ruckinger planned to murder her family at their rural central Pennsylvania home -- but it remains unclear what exactly led to the deadly confrontation.

"They parked at the bottom of a long driveway, and walked up, heavily armed," said Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan.

Josephine Ruckinger was armed with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun and her husband had a Derringer pistol and a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun as they approached the Frew family home in Ashville, about 40 miles southwest of State College, according to investigators.

John Frew, his wife Roberta, and their son John Jr., 47, had just returned from dinner out, and were watching TV in the living room of the white mobile home when there was a knock at the door, authorities said.

Police say Roberta, 64, answered the door, and cried out something like "Oh my God, they have guns!" before her daughter shot her at point-blank range. John Jr. then may have attempted to arm himself with a gun, but Jeffrey Ruckinger shot him multiple times in the chest, killing him, police said.

The elder Frew, 67, grabbed a .22 revolver and came out from the bedroom to find the daughter he didn't initially recognize pointing the shotgun at him. Frew fired once, hitting her in the head, then turned and exchanged fire with Jeffrey Ruckinger, killing him. He then called police.

Josephine Ruckinger was still alive when police arrived, but later died at an area hospital. John Frew was not hurt.

Callihan said that the preliminary investigation suggests that the elder Frew and his family were victims "of a pre-planned murder" plot, and that he acted in self-defense. Police also found a can of gas and lighter fluid in the Ruckingers' car.

Ballistics and toxicology tests are pending, investigators said.

Authorities are still exploring possible motives, but say there may have been burglaries and robberies at the Frew residence in the past.

A relative, Virginia Cruse, said the daughter and mother did not get along, but that she had no idea what spawned Friday's tragedy. The daughter had "a hatred toward the family," she said.

When Josephine was about 20, she and a boyfriend trashed her parents' home and stole items including a pistol, then fled to Pittsburgh, Cruse said. After that, she said, "more or less, they disowned her."

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Old 09-30-2013, 10:35   #2
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Maybe they were after the insurance money from torching the single-wide.
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Old 09-30-2013, 10:49   #3
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Maybe they were after the insurance money from torching the single-wide.
Ten bucks is ten bucks!
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Old 09-30-2013, 18:55   #4
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From the article it appears three people died by .22 caliber bullets. Not bad for a cartridge the pundits dismiss as "totally inadequate for personal defense". Prayers for Mr. Frew as he deals with the aftermath.
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Old 09-30-2013, 19:14   #5
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Prayers for Mr. Frew as he deals with the aftermath.
And gratitude that he survived.
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Old 09-30-2013, 19:16   #6
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Originally Posted by Peregrino View Post
From the article it appears three people died by .22 caliber bullets. Not bad for a cartridge the pundits dismiss as "totally inadequate for personal defense". Prayers for Mr. Frew as he deals with the aftermath.
The .22 is used to put down aggressive elk here in Colorado.
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Old 10-01-2013, 01:47   #7
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Does the .22 have good stopping power though? From what I have been reading, a concern isn't so much about the gunshot killing one's attacker as it is stopping them (for example, if they are shot and die two minutes later, they could still attack in that time). But I am an amateur on these things.

I actually was made aware of this article through a thread here on PS.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power
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Old 10-01-2013, 01:54   #8
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RIP to this man's wife and son. Sounds like the daughter was a bad seed. Prayers for the father in getting through this.
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Old 10-01-2013, 06:10   #9
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This happened about 25 minutes north of me.

We don't get many murders here, but the ones that happen are almost exclusively domestic in nature.

The other most recent one that made the news was the guy that killed his wife's boyfriend with a crossbow a couple years ago.
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