Retired NYPD detective fatally shoots wife before dying by suicide, Yonkers police say

By Tony Aiello

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    YONKERS, New York (WCBS, WLNY) — A retired NYPD detective shot and killed his wife before dying by suicide Wednesday, Yonkers Police say.

Officers were sent to a home on Chittenden Avenue just after 7 a.m. for a report of an unconscious person, according to police. When they arrived, police say they found a woman suffering from several gunshot wounds and a man apparently dead from a gunshot wound to the head. First responders performed life-saving measures on the woman, but she died at the scene, police say.

They have been identified as Sean O’Neill, 54, and Arlene O’Neill, 47.

The couple’s three school-age sons were home at the time of the shooting. They are being cared for by relatives.

Five hours after the early morning gunfire and a few minutes after a priest visited the scene, the bodies were removed from their home.

Sources tell CBS News New York their marriage was under stress. The couple fought Tuesday night and the tension carried over into Wednesday.

Sean O’Neill retired from the NYPD in 2023 and had worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Arlene O’Neill taught fifth grade at Anne Hutchinson Elementary in Eastchester. The district said staff and students are “shocked and saddened,” and it will provide counseling.

“It’s just, words just can’t describe what happened. It’s just devastating for the kids, devastating for the family,” neighbor Ed Pagano said.

Someone who’s known the couple for many years told CBS News New York’s Tony Aiello that Arlene was a wonderful person and a devoted mom and educator, and everyone who knows the family is in disbelief.

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