Two School Custodians Found Shot Dead at Chicago Elementary School in Apparent Murder-Suicide

Two custodial workers were discovered shot to death inside Mark Twain Elementary School in Chicago on Monday afternoon, with police indicating that one employee fatally shot the other before taking his own life. Officers responding to the scene shortly after 3:30 p.m. found a 48-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man unresponsive inside the building, the Chicago Police Department confirmed. Each victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the head, and both were pronounced dead after being transported to nearby hospitals.

School Principal Matthew Moline notified parents in a written statement that the incident occurred during a time when no students occupied the building. He stated that the gunfire took place within the school and expressed condolences to the affected families and school community members.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, citing a police report, the older custodian had been informed of an upcoming transfer from the school, a development that may have prompted the deadly confrontation. An unidentified firearm was recovered at the scene. Both victims worked for the school district and were members of SEIU Local 73, the union representing Chicago Public Schools custodial staff.

SEIU Local 73 Executive Vice President Trumaine Reeves issued a statement expressing sympathy for the families of the deceased and pledging support to the school community during the investigation. Moline reiterated that administrators would provide updates as details emerge from the ongoing police inquiry.