Investigators say the father, 45, shot the 34-year-old woman in front of three children before shooting himself.
UPPER DARBY, PA — A 34-year-old mother was shot and killed during a child custody exchange shortly after noon Friday on the 200 block of Copley Road, and the 45-year-old father of her children shot himself moments later, police said.
Authorities said the children — ages six, four and one — were in the back seat when the man got into the passenger side of the woman’s SUV and an argument followed. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was taken to a Philadelphia hospital in critical condition. Investigators called the case an apparent attempted murder-suicide that unfolded as the kids returned from a Christmas visit with their father. Police said a standing custody order was in place. Officials have not released the names of the adults as detectives continue to notify extended family and confirm next-of-kin details.
Police said the exchange began around noon Friday, Dec. 26, near Locust Street and Copley Road. According to investigators, the three children climbed into the back of the vehicle and the father entered on the passenger side. Witnesses reported hearing two shots inside the SUV, followed by a single shot outside. Superintendent Timothy M. Bernhardt said the argument escalated quickly before the father “pulled out a handgun and fired two shots at the female,” then got out and “shot himself one time.” Officers arrived within minutes after 911 calls and removed the victim from the driver’s seat to begin lifesaving efforts, neighbors said. “A mother was killed in front of her children,” Bernhardt said, calling the violence “a brutal act” that will leave lasting trauma.
Bernhardt said the three children were not physically injured and were later reunited with relatives. Investigators recovered a handgun and shell casings and canvassed the block for surveillance video and additional witnesses. A neighbor described officers working urgently in the street as paramedics treated the man on a nearby sidewalk. Another resident said the area has seen recent incidents and watched as detectives photographed the SUV and marked evidence in the roadway. As of Saturday, the man remained hospitalized in critical condition. Police said charges will be filed if he survives. Authorities did not immediately detail prior calls for service at the address or whether any protective orders existed beyond the custody paperwork, and they declined to specify how many shots were fired beyond the initial account.
Upper Darby police posted an initial alert around 1 p.m. Friday reporting a man and woman found shot. They later said the double shooting near Copley Road and Locust Street was “another senseless act of domestic violence.” The Inquirer reported the ages of the adults as 34 and 45, and local TV stations reported the children’s ages as six, four and one. A video clip from the scene showed a late-model SUV with doors open and crime-scene tape blocking the intersection while officers interviewed bystanders and searched yards and porches for evidence. Police said the children had just been dropped off after spending Christmas Day with their father, in line with the custody order on file.
Records from the township show Superintendent Bernhardt has led high-visibility violent-crime investigations in recent years, including several domestic incidents that drew regional attention. Friday’s shooting occurred in a mix of rowhouses and small apartment buildings a few blocks from a commercial corridor and bus routes that feed to West Philadelphia. The block is often busy at midday, neighbors said, with families returning from errands and children home on winter break. While Delaware County prosecutors frequently file domestic-related homicide cases each year, investigators said it is less common for such shootings to unfold during arranged custody pickups, which are often scheduled in daylight and near homes or police parking lots.
Detectives said they are retracing the adults’ movements in the hours before the exchange and have requested hospital updates to determine charging timelines. If the father survives, police said the case would be referred to the Delaware County District Attorney for review of homicide and related counts. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of death. Police said they expect to release the woman’s identity after family notifications. Officials planned to gather additional witness statements and digital evidence through the weekend. No news conference had been scheduled as of Sunday afternoon, and police said they would provide updates when they have confirmed new information.
By Saturday evening, small clusters of neighbors paused at the corner where yellow tape had been strung the day before. “I heard the shots and then saw officers pull her from the driver’s seat,” said Abu Chowdhury, who lives on Copley Road. Another resident, Jordan McGee, said the block has felt unsettled since the shooting. “I feel bad for the kids,” he said. Superintendent Bernhardt said the department is arranging trauma support for the children and coordinating with relatives. He called on the public to keep the affected family and responding officers in their thoughts, adding that the damage from such violence “is permanent.”
As of Sunday, Dec. 28, police had not publicly released the names of the adults. The father remained hospitalized in critical condition, and detectives said they were preparing case materials for prosecutors should his condition improve. Officials said the next update will come after the medical examiner’s autopsy and confirmation of identities.
Author note: Last updated December 28, 2025.