The Associated Press
APOPKA, Fla.- As police waited outside, a gunman who held a woman hostage and told police to call backup apparently shot the woman and himself, authorities said Monday.
Deanna Rose Gallagher, 27, was found dead inside a barricaded bedroom closet Sunday in her Apopka home along with the man, who had not yet been identified, police Sgt. Jerome Miller said.
Police had not yet determined the motive for the deaths.
Police got their first sign of trouble when they responded to a 911 call just after 5 a.m. Sunday, Miller said.
A woman opened the door and said nothing was wrong.
But before the door closed, a man appeared behind her, held a gun to her head and told police they better call a SWAT team, Miller said. Apopka’s Special Response Team set up a perimeter and waited for the Sheriff’s SWAT team.
After 8 a.m., shots were heard from inside the home. The SWAT team entered about an hour later, Miller said.
Friends and neighbors were stunned by the death of Gallagher, a hardworking single mother. Her sons were with a relative during the weekend, they said.
“She moved from a bad neighborhood to give her kids a better life,” said Anita Littles-Leonard, who grew up with Gallagher in Eatonville. “It was all about her family, all about her boys. It really, really hits. It’s so close to home.”