Two Teen Siblings Killed In Watertown Triple Shooting

WATERTOWN, CT — Two teenage siblings are dead and police have said their mother's boyfriend was the suspected shooter, according to media reports. The suspect, Paul Ferguson, 42, was found dead due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, reports indicated.

The two teen victims were identified as 15-year-old Della Jette and her 16-year-old brother, Sterling Jette Jr. Both attended Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury.

Police responded to a call at a Litchfield Road home at 9:47 p.m. Tuesday, according to News 12. The mother had called police to report that Ferguson had shot her children.

Both teenagers were suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds when police arrived at the scene. The victims were taken to Waterbury Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, WFSB reported. Ferguson was declared dead at the scene.

Police said Della Jette had gone on a school field trip to New York earlier that day. When she returned home, she talked with her mother about Ferguson smoking cigarettes in the house, NBC CT reported.

The conversation got a little loud, and Ferguson went upstairs to tell Della to keep quiet, according to reports. This led to an argument, and Ferguson armed himself with a handgun he retrieved from a safe, reports stated.

Police believe Ferguson shot Della on the deck, then went back inside and shot Sterling — who had tried to intervene in the argument — in the chest, according to NBC CT. He then went to a bedroom and shot himself, reports indicated.

Ferguson was a convicted felon barred from owning a firearm as he was initially charged with sexual assault that was pleaded down to unlawful restraint, according to WTNH. Naugatuck police said Ferguson was arrested twice, once in 2014 on suspicion of larceny and in 2016 on allegations of drunken driving.

Watertown Schools Superintendent Rydell Harrison released a statement following the incident: "The Watertown community has suffered a tremendous loss. Two former students were tragically killed last night in a shooting at their home. Although the two siblings who were killed were not enrolled at our High School, they attended Watertown schools through eighth grade and formed close relationships with students and staff over the years. This morning, crisis teams are in place at Watertown High School and Swift Middle School to support students and staff as they grieve.

"Our school community, like the wonderful town we live in, will come together to do everything we can to provide support to our students, staff and families during this difficult time."

Local and state police, along with the Waterbury State's Attorney's Office and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, are investigating the case, NBC CT reported. The mother is cooperating with the investigation.

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