Police arriving at a Portage home Friday night and a 911 dispatcher on the phone with a young woman who said her father was drunk, throwing items around the house and had a firearm simultaneously heard the sound of gunfire as the father killed his wife and injured his daughter before killing himself, police said.
Brandy Manville, 46, a secretary at Portage High School, died in the shooting as did her husband, Charles, 45, according to Portage Police and the Porter County Coroner’s Office, in what police called a “shocking crime” that shook the community over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The couple’s 21-year-old daughter, who made the 911 call, is in serious but stable condition with life-threatening injuries, police said. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital before being transported to a trauma center by a Lutheran Air medical helicopter. Police are not naming the daughter without her consent.
In a statement to the Portage High School community released on Saturday, the district described Brandy Manville as someone who “always gave a welcoming smile to all visitors to the main office, offering many of our students a listening ear and words of encouragement each day.”
Counseling services will be available for students and staff, and principals will provide instructions for accessing the services on Monday morning.
“Our school community is deeply saddened and impacted by this tragedy as Mrs. Manville touched the lives of so many of our students and staff. Our hearts are with her family and everyone grieving this loss,” the district said.
Police officers responded at 7:41 p.m. on Friday to the 6300 block of Monument Avenue for “a report of a domestic disturbance.”
As the daughter reported her father had a firearm, police said, “911 operators could hear the male saying that everyone was going die followed by the sound of gunfire.” Police approaching the home heard the gunfire as well.
A team of officers from several responding police agencies forced entry to the home, where they discovered Charles Manville deceased with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police found Brandy Manville deceased with apparent gunshot wounds. Their daughter was found alive with apparent gunshot wounds.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victims of this shocking crime. We pray for a full and speedy recovery of the surviving victim,” police said.
No other people were located inside the residence and no officers discharged their weapons, police said. Investigators believe the incident was isolated to the three people found in the home and there is no continuing threat to the community.
“As of this time, the surviving victim has not been able to provide a statement to investigators and a motive for this shooting remains unknown,” police said.
Portage Police thanked other departments, including the Portage Fire Department and Lutheran Air for providing continuing medical aid and transport to the surviving victim, and the Burns Harbor and Ogden Dunes Police Departments and Porter County Sheriff’s Department that were part of the initial response to the shooting.
“The Porter County Coroner’s Office would like to extend our condolences to all the family and loved ones of the victims involved in this senseless tragedy,” Coroner Cyndi Dykes said in a release.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
