Police: Zelienople man fatally shot 2 women at New Sewickley home
A Zelienople man faces criminal homicide and kidnapping charges, after police said he shot two women with a rifle and barricaded himself inside a New Sewickley house on Saturday afternoon.
Police were called to the 400 block of Klein Road around 2 p.m. Saturday. The first officers on scene encountered an armed, barricaded suspect, according to New Sewickley police.
The Beaver County Emergency Services Unit and SWAT team were notified and responded along with several nearby police agencies.
Police said Benjamin Selby, 43, of Zelienople, was eventually taken into custody. Investigators said they found two women dead and one woman uninjured inside the house.
The victims were identified by Beaver County Coroner David Gabauer as Mary Lihosit, 65, of Irving, Texas, and Delores Shelby, 71, of New Sewickley. Gabauer said both women had multiple rifle wounds.
“The initial response by our officers and officers from assisting departments quickly contained this incident within the residence,” New Sewickley Police Chief Gregory Carney said in a news release. “At no time were any neighbors or members of the public in danger.”
Selby was arraigned and charged with two counts of criminal homicide and one count of kidnapping for ransom, according to court records. He was denied bail and taken to the Beaver County Prison.
A July 3 preliminary hearing will take place in District Judge Robert Dappenbrook’s Beaver court.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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