Man, 59, shoots sister, 62, 'multiple times' before turning the gun on himself after argument over a bonfire at the home they lived in with their mom who's in her 80s

A domestic dispute between a brother and sister ended in a murder-suicide at the Pennsylvania home they share with their elderly mother early Wednesday morning, according to police.

John E. Dufford, 59, fatally shot his sister Karen A. Dufford, 62, before turning the gun on himself at a home in the 900 block of Route 356, in Allegheny Township, at around 2am this morning.

The tragic culmination came as part of an argument between the two siblings regarding a bonfire, Allegheny Township Police Chief Duane Fisher said. 

‘It’s not what most people would think as far as a traditional domestic when you get dispatched too,’ Fisher said.

John E. Dufford, 59, fatally shot his sister Karen A. Dufford, 62, before turning the gun on himself at a home in the 900 block of Route 356, in Allegheny Township, at around 2am this morning

The bloody culmination reportedly occurred after the two siblings began arguing about a bonfire, Allegheny Township Police Chief Duane Fisher said

Police were first called to the home at 11:30pm on Tuesday after Mr. Dufford, who was intoxicated, physically assaulted his sister during the dispute. 

By the time officers arrived at the home, Mr. Dufford had reportedly fled the scene on foot.

While officers were interviewing Karen Dufford and her mother, who also lives in the home, the man walked to the township’s police station and used a telephone in the lobby, asking to speak with an officer.

The officers at the family’s home then went back to the station to speak Mr. Dufford but he had left by the time they’d got there.

‘We don’t know if he actually wanted to speak to an officer or if the call was made to try and distract us,’ Fisher told WTAE.

Fearing that he was heading back to the home, officers requested assistance from the Vandergrift and Washington Township police departments to set up a perimeter in the surrounding area.

The officers searched for the 59-year-old in the thick, dense woods behind the Dufford family residence, but they couldn’t find him.

Fisher’s team then returned back to the station and began preparing to file assault charges against Mr. Dufford when they received a call from his sister that became disconnected.

‘When officers called back, the mother answered and said there was a shooting and somebody was killed,' Fisher said. 

Both Karen and John were pronounced dead at the scene at around 2am. Their mother, who is in her 80s, was not harmed

Mr. Dufford shot his sister multiple times, according to Fisher. 

Two minutes later, as police arrived at the home, John Dufford turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the head.

‘When they were about 60 yards away from him, they heard a sudden pop and he collapsed in the front yard,’ Fisher said of Mr. Dufford.

Both Karen and John were pronounced dead at the scene at around 2am. Their mother, who is in her 80s, was not harmed.

‘It’s believed he was under the influence for a good portion of the day,’ Fisher said of Mr. Dufford. ‘Something happened that set him off between his sister and him related to that bonfire.’

Police say besides substance abuse, mental illness was also a factor in the tragic incident.