J-10
07-14-2004, 05:47 AM
Man Sets Woman and Three Children on Fire
Man Sets Woman and Three Children on Fire in Car Near Seattle; All but Woman Are Dead
The Associated Press
BONNEY LAKE, Wash. July 14, 2004 — A man doused his estranged girlfriend and three small children with gasoline while holding them at gunpoint in a car early Wednesday, set them on fire and crashed the vehicle, killing the youngsters and dying soon afterward.
The 19-year-old woman, who recently filed an assault complaint against him, was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle following the crash at an intersection near this town east of Tacoma, Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said.
The man pulled the gun after he and the others got into the car, then doused them with gasoline and flicked a lighter to set them on fire as he drove, Troyer said.
Around 1 a.m., a resident reported hearing a crash and seeing two adults completely on fire as they stumbled across the road.
Firefighters found the bodies of the children in the back of the overturned car, which was severely burned. The 6-month-old boy, 1 1/2-year-old boy and 2 1/2-year-old girl were the children of either the man, the woman or both, Troyer said.
Troyer said the woman, who lives in Puyallup, filed an assault complaint in recent days, and a deputy was assigned to the case, but the woman failed to follow through.
"They were in the process of getting back together or breaking up, off and on," he said. The woman's relatives indicated there had been "some unreported domestic violence" before she made the complaint, Troyer said.
The 24-year-old man was ****ounced dead on arrival at Harborview. At the scene, he was incoherent but the woman managed to speak briefly, authorities said.
"Fortunately, she was able to give us preliminary information," Troyer said.
It was not immediately known where the car had been before the crash, he said.
ABCNEWS (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040714_706.html)
Man Sets Woman and Three Children on Fire in Car Near Seattle; All but Woman Are Dead
The Associated Press
BONNEY LAKE, Wash. July 14, 2004 — A man doused his estranged girlfriend and three small children with gasoline while holding them at gunpoint in a car early Wednesday, set them on fire and crashed the vehicle, killing the youngsters and dying soon afterward.
The 19-year-old woman, who recently filed an assault complaint against him, was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle following the crash at an intersection near this town east of Tacoma, Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said.
The man pulled the gun after he and the others got into the car, then doused them with gasoline and flicked a lighter to set them on fire as he drove, Troyer said.
Around 1 a.m., a resident reported hearing a crash and seeing two adults completely on fire as they stumbled across the road.
Firefighters found the bodies of the children in the back of the overturned car, which was severely burned. The 6-month-old boy, 1 1/2-year-old boy and 2 1/2-year-old girl were the children of either the man, the woman or both, Troyer said.
Troyer said the woman, who lives in Puyallup, filed an assault complaint in recent days, and a deputy was assigned to the case, but the woman failed to follow through.
"They were in the process of getting back together or breaking up, off and on," he said. The woman's relatives indicated there had been "some unreported domestic violence" before she made the complaint, Troyer said.
The 24-year-old man was ****ounced dead on arrival at Harborview. At the scene, he was incoherent but the woman managed to speak briefly, authorities said.
"Fortunately, she was able to give us preliminary information," Troyer said.
It was not immediately known where the car had been before the crash, he said.
ABCNEWS (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040714_706.html)