STURBRIDGE, Mass. — A pregnant woman died by suicide early Thursday after crashing her car into a Sturbridge hotel and opening fire, wounding a man who had no connection to her, according to officials.
Police were called to the Sturbridge Plaza Hotel at 400 Haynes St. just before 1 a.m. Thursday, after reports of a vehicle crashing into the building and gunfire.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said investigators believe the 28-year-old suspect had driven to the hotel searching for two people she knew, though the room her car struck turned out to be empty.
What happened at the hotel
According to Early, the woman fired several shots into the building before crashing her vehicle through the wall. A man staying at the hotel, who officials say was unrelated to whoever she was trying to find, was shot in the torso as he walked out of the lobby.
He was first taken to Harrington Hospital before being flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he remained in critical but stable condition.
Three Sturbridge police officers and a Massachusetts State Police trooper responded within about five minutes and made contact with the woman.
Police say they repeatedly told her to put down her weapon, but she shot herself before officers could intervene. Paramedics attempted extensive lifesaving efforts, including the use of a LUCAS device, but she could not be saved. It was only afterward that investigators learned she was pregnant.
Police Chief Earl Dessert praised the responding officers for entering the building knowing the suspect was armed, calling their actions textbook and saying he was proud of how the team handled the situation.
He also said the public was never in any real danger, since the entire episode unfolded and ended within about ten minutes.
Early declined to release the names of the suspect or the victim, citing Massachusetts domestic violence statutes, and described the case as complicated.
Witnesses describe chaotic scene
Several hotel guests described a terrifying sequence of events. Stuart Mackelvie, a visitor from Scotland in town for a World Cup match, said he was asleep when a car alarm woke him.
He told reporters he then heard gunshots and saw a woman climb out of a crashed SUV, shouting and asking where someone was before firing into a hotel room and breaking through a window.
Another guest, truck driver Johnny Walker, said he heard a woman screaming that she knew someone was inside before she began shooting out windows on the first floor. He said he watched her get back into her vehicle and ram it into the building moments later.
Witnesses said police thoroughly checked every room in the hotel and took statements from guests following the shooting. Mackelvie said the experience left him shaken, noting that in the United Kingdom, police are rarely armed and situations like domestic disputes do not typically escalate this way.
No other injuries were reported, and authorities say the investigation remains ongoing.
This is a sensitive topic involving suicide and domestic violence. Anyone who is struggling can call or text 988 to reach a trained crisis counselor at no cost, available 24 hours a day.