A Pennsylvania man reportedly shot his pregnant girlfriend dead then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide Wednesday night.
According to the Observer-Reporter, Naader E. Rizk, 38, is believed to have fatally shot Michelle Krek, 35, inside their second-floor Cecil apartment. Krek was reportedly seven months pregnant and was due in May; her unborn son also died in Wednesday’s shooting.
KDKA reported that the police found Krek near the door with gunshot wounds to the back of her head and right shoulder. Rizk was allegedly found with a wound to a head. Police believe that Rizk’s wound was self-inflicted.
A news release from the coroner’s office stated that the couple became “involved in a domestic incident” in their apartment Wednesday night, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, it’s unclear what that led up to the fatal shootings.
The victim’s sister, Danni Krek, told WTAE that friends and family gathered days earlier to celebrate the birth of a baby who would’ve been named Logan. Danni Krek claimed that Rizk was in attendance and appeared to be happy.
Krek also disputed claims made by police that Rizk recently learned that Krek’s unborn child wasn’t his. However, police backtracked on those comments, saying that it’s unclear whether Rizk was the father.
“He was 100% the father. He was at every single appointment. He was very hands-on with planning everything. He was just as happy. He was at the shower just as excited about everything to come,” Danni Krek said.
While officials said a motive is unclear, Rizk’s parents claimed the pair had a rocky relationship. However, they said the tumultuous relationship wasn’t violent.
“They broke up five, maybe six (times) just in that one year,” mother Marsha Rizk told the Observer-Reporter.
“They didn’t get time to know each other. … Getting pregnant that quickly … really, you don’t know the person until you’re with them for a while.”
Autopsies are reportedly scheduled for Thursday.
[Featured Image: Michelle Krek, Naader E. Rizk/Facebook]