Downtown Tyrone was the scene of a murder-suicide on Saturday evening.
Sandra Teeters, 29, of 1250 Logan Avenue, was shot and killed by 40-year-old Matthew B. Woomer of 1111 Washington Avenue. The incident happened sometime shortly before 7:45 p.m. at Woomer’s home.
Woomer used a .270 caliber-hunting rifle to shot Teeters and then himself. The pair was found in an upstairs bedroom after police were called to the scene.
In a press release, Police Chief Joseph Beachem said a relative received a phone call from Woomer saying he had shot and killed his ex-wife. Beachem said Woomer told the relative to tell everyone he loved them and hung up. The pair was found shot dead by a relative according to Beachem.
“All indications are this was a murder-suicide arising from marital problems,” Beachem told The Daily Herald. “I believe they were legally separated. I believe the divorce was finalized.”
Beachem said, to his knowledge, the murder-suicide was the first incident of its type in recent times in Tyrone.
“It’s a tragic thing,” said Beachem. “We really hate to see these types of things.”
Beachem was asked if autopsy or toxicology tests were planned.
“That really varies from scene to scene,” said Beachem. “This one was pretty easily solved by the evidence we have. (In this case), I don’t think any of that is planned.”
Beachem said no one else was in the house at the time of the shooting. Woomer had three children and Teeters had two children. Beachem said all the children were with other family members or friends at the time of the incident.
Beachem said state police, Bellwood Police and the Blair County Coroner’s office assisted at the scene.
The father of one of Teeters’ children drove by the Washington Avenue home on Sunday morning. He stopped and said, “This is a tragedy for everybody. Not just for the victim’s children but also for Mr. Woomer’s children.”
He said his 14-year-old son would need counseling. He said the five children left behind ranged in age from three to 14-years-old.
Sandy Teeters’ mother was reached by telephone on Sunday, but said she had no comment about the incident.
A patron at the Choice store in Tyrone said he had seen and spoken with Woomer at the store earlier Saturday. The patron and others said Woomer had been a regular at the store, which is located not far from where Saturday’s incident happened.
Teeters was a graduate of South Hills Business School and was employed by Victoria’s Secret in Altoona. Mr. Woomer was a 1983 graduate of Tyrone Area High School and had formerly worked at HRI Construction of State College and Albemarle Corp., Tyrone.
Obituary notices for both Teeters and Woomer appear on page 2 in today’s Daily Herald.
