An NYPD school safety officer was shot and killed in a Brooklyn apartment by her boyfriend who then turned the gun on himself, while her son sheltered in the next room.
The New York police have yet to release an official statement, but according to local media reports, law enforcement says that Naire McCormick, 44, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head late on Sunday night.
Both were dead at the scene.
In addition to her job as a school safety officer, McCormick also worked on the side as a plus-size model, winning a local competition last year.
Police responded to a 911 call at the apartment on Sept. 15, meeting Dempster’s cousin and McCormick’s son as they fled into the hallway after hearing the gunfire.
Witnesses told the Post that prior to the shooting they had heard sounds of an argument.
Dempster had been drinking heavily, according to police sources cited by the Post, as they celebrated his birthday.
“I kept saying [to myself] he’s gonna hurt her, he’s gonna hurt her,’” Jordan said, adding that she didn’t intervene as McCormick was a “strong woman and she stood her ground.”
“I really can’t believe this happened because I saw it with my own eyes,” Jordan said in reference to the couple’s relationship. “They would go in their room and fight.”
Dempster had four prior arrests on charges including robbery and weapon possession, according to sources cited by the Daily News and the Post.
Local school safety organizations played tribute to McCormick.
“Today is a sad day as we mourn the death of our beloved School Safety Agent Naire McCormick. She will be deeply missed by her friends, family, the youth and faculty she served at her school, and her NYPD School Safety Family,” said a statement on the official Twitter account of the NYPD School Safety Division.