Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Milan, NY: Attempted murder/suicide under investigation

A dispute between a divorced couple in the town of Milan leads to a 47-year-old man shooting his ex-wife before turning the gun on himself. John Wagner reports.


TOWN OF MILAN, N.Y. -- Dutchess County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a frantic 911 call on Monday morning. They say they found John Hogan and his ex-wife Lisa Coon unconscious with gun wounds, and their daughter witnessed it all.

"He and his daughter became involved in a struggle," explained Lt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office. "Mr. Hogan fell down the stairs and while he was falling down the stairs, Ms. Coon and her daughter locked themselves into a bathroom. At that point it appears as though Mr. Hogan then got up, kicked the door into the bathroom and then shot Ms. Coon and himself."

Hogan was airlifted to Albany Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Coon survived her gun shots and is being treated at St. Francis Hospital.

"It was a pistol, it was a twenty two caliber pistol. It was legally possessed by Mr. Hogan--he had it on his permit," said Lt. Watterson.

The divorced couple was working as caretakers of an estate on Turkey Hill Road. Neighbors didn't want to go on camera but said the couple seemed happy and even though they never remarried--had been back living together for more than a decade.

As the investigation continues, an autopsy on Hogan is being conducted by the Medical Examiner's Office in Albany.

"Right now our primary focus is finding out why this happened and how exactly it happened," said Lt. Watterson.

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