Crisis teams were available Saturday morning at St. Charles East High School after the shooting deaths of three people — including two teenage girls — the night before.
A fourth person was wounded in the Friday shooting in west suburban St. Charles, according to authorities.
Officers were called to a condominium complex on the 400 block of South First Street around 5 p.m. after several 911 calls — including one from inside the condo — about shots fired, Deputy Chief David Kintz told the Daily Herald.
Officers arrived and found a man and two teenage girls shot to death inside the apartment, police said. A woman who was also shot was taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva, police said.
Saturday afternoon, the Kane County coroner’s office identified the two girls as Tiffany and Brittany Coffland, both 16. The man was identified as Randall Coffland, 48.
The woman who was shot was Randall Coffland’s 46-year-old wife, according to police. She is in stable condition.
Police said a preliminary investigation suggests the shooting was an incident of domestic violence.
Police do not believe there is any danger to the public, Kintz added. The shooting is still under investigation.
“This is a very difficult for the first responders to work with,” Kintz said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to family members who are left to deal with this tragic situation.”
Evidence teams were still at the scene late Friday night. Grief-stricken teenagers sat nearby around candles and flowers, holding a vigil in the cold.
The teens told the Daily Herald that the young victims were twins who attended St. Charles East High School.
A sign posted above a memorial that soon sprang up outside the condo building said crisis teams are available for anyone who may need assistance after “the tragedy in our community.”
“The city of St. Charles experienced a horrific personal tragedy last night,” St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina said in a statement Saturday.
“Being the close-knit community we are, an incident of this nature has impact beyond the immediate family–we think about and pray for the extended family which includes relatives, high school students and other friends,” he added. “We also pray for the greater community, all of us, that we will stand tall and provide calm and peace at such a tragic moment.”
Contributing: Sam Charles and Sun-Times Wire
