A Pennsylvania man faces murder charges after forcefully entering his estranged wife’s residence and fatally shooting a firefighter who was dining with her.
Robert Naugle Jr., aged 30, has been accused of criminal homicide following the New Year’s Eve shooting of 47-year-old James Thomas, as reported by WPXI.
According to court filings, Naugle stormed into the home, passed by a crib holding his own child, and fired ten bullets at Thomas. Subsequently, he contacted 911, confessing to the dispatcher that he “walked in on my wife with another man, and I killed him.”
Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani highlighted the suddenness of the act, noting, as per TribLive, “Within moments, Naugle fired a handgun at someone he hadn’t spoken to or knew, simply seeing another person in the house and beginning to shoot.”
Police records indicate Naugle initiated divorce proceedings in November and vacated the property on December 29.
Trooper Limani further remarked, “It could have been anyone, even someone doing repairs. The reality was, it was just an individual sitting there having a meal.”
Limani said three other children were upstairs sleeping when Naugle killed Thomas.
Thomas was a member of the Derry Township Volunteer Fire Department in Brandenville, Chief Mark Piantine said, according to WPXI.
“He grew up here,” Piantine said of Thomas’s 12-year-old son. “He is a young kid, and he has come to a call with his dad, and his hope was to follow in his dad’s steps. I guess it’s up to us to take in Landon for his dad.”
Naugle’s estranged wife and their four children were not physically harmed during Thomas’s murder.
Naugle is being held without bond and is due in court on January 14, TribLive said.
