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A 14-year-old girl was killed by her father in an apparent murder-suicide, police say, according to multiple reports.
Police say Christopher Wood, 51, shot his daughter, Ava Wood, before turning the gun on himself inside their Baldwinsville, N.Y. home on Jan. 20, according to The Post-Standard.
Officers were called to the home at about 8:30 a.m. for a status check after the victim's mom called 911 to report that her daughter did not make it to school, per the outlet. The mom told dispatchers that the girl was at home with her father, who, according to the mom, was depressed and had told the mom, "This is how it ends for us" the night before.
When police arrived, they used the house keys the mom had given them to enter the house, where they discovered the pair's bodies with gunshot wounds in separate bedrooms, CNY Central reports. It appeared as though the father's wound was self-inflicted, police told the outlet.
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According to the outlet, Christopher Wood was still married to the girl's mother, but the couple was broken up and living apart. The teen had primarily been living with her dad, according to reports.
Teen Athlete Was 'Incredible Person'
The teen's mom, Heather Wood, released a statement on behalf of herself and her family.
"We want to begin by expressing our gratitude for the outpouring of love that we've received in the last 24 hours—it is the love and support from our community that will sustain us in the coming days," the statement reads, in part, according to LocalSYR.
"To Ava's friends, classmates, and teammates: please continue sharing photos and tributes to Ava. She loved each and every one of you, and we are grateful for the love you have shown her and our family."
A 9th grader at Durgee Junior High School, Ava was an excellent student and played soccer and track and field, the outlet reports.
"It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I inform you of the tragic loss of Durgee Jr. High School 9th grade student Ava Wood," the Baldwinsville school district said in an email to parents obtained by The Post-Standard.
"We are a close-knit school community and our hearts are broken by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with Ava's family and friends during this extremely difficult time."
The young athlete was remembered by her soccer coach at the Syracuse Development Academy as an "incredible person."
"The most important thing we can do is try and remember the positives," Corey Fonseca told Spectrum News 1 at a Sunday night vigil.
"[She was] someone you showed up and really enjoyed coaching because she was just a great kid."
A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched to help the Wood family with funeral expenses.
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