Massachusetts police have launched an urgent manhunt for an ‘armed and dangerous’ son after his mother was found fatally shot in the kitchen of her suburban home.
The victim, Andria Hanafin, 49, was found dead in her home in Reading, Massachusetts in the early hours of Thursday.
At a press conference, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan identified Ryan Hanafin, 22, as a person of interest wanted in connection with the shooting.
Authorities said Hanafin is the son of the victim, and urged residents to use ‘extreme caution’ if they encounter the suspect.
Hanafin is described as potentially ‘armed and dangerous’, and may be driving a 2010 black Dodge Charger with license plate 2PSY15, authorities said.
The district attorney said Hanafin had a legal gun license that was suspended on Thursday morning after the shooting was discovered, and the murder weapon has not been located.
Ryan said the victim was found fatally shot by her husband, Matthew, when he returned to their home from working a 12-hour shift, and police were called shortly before 1am Thursday.
Andria was pronounced dead at the scene, Ryan said, who added that the shooting is believed to be a ‘domestic violence at this point, although not the traditional domestic violence situation that we think of.’
Massachusetts police have launched an urgent manhunt for an ‘armed and dangerous’ son after his mother was found fatally shot in the kitchen of her suburban home
Andria Hanafin, 49, was found dead in her home in Reading, Massachusetts in the early hours of Thursday by her husband Matthew (together)
Ryan Hanafin, 22, is being sought as a person of interest in the case, and police said he may be ‘armed and dangerous’
The district attorney said at a press conference on Thursday that investigators believe the shooting was caused by a ‘dispute’ between the mother and son.
‘It is a moment of reflection about the presence of guns in a home,’ she said. ‘It is shocking. It is tragic.’
Ryan said the family has three children, and the youngest, a 13-year-old child, was at home when the 911 call was made. Another child, a daughter, was away at college at the time of the shooting.
