EBENSBURG — A child-custody dispute led to an exchange of gunfire between a divorced couple and ended in a double murder and suicide.
Cambria Township police were dispatched just before 3 a.m. Sunday to the 1200 block of Allie Buck Road in Cambria Township after reports of a break-in.
Instead, they found themselves in a standoff with David Gerlach, 42, of Ebensburg.
Gerlach allegedly became agitated late Saturday or early Sunday with his ex-wife, Debra Gerlach, 41, who was living in the Cambria Township residence, which was in the process of being sold.
According to Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski, David Gerlach went to the residence with his handgun.
“There were two guns in the residence,” Kwiatkowski said. “One was Debra’s and one was the shooter’s. They exchanged gunfire at some point.”
Kwiatkowski said Paul Demetri, 44, of Berwyn Heights, Md., was in the residence with Debra Gerlach. Police said both were shot by David Gerlach.
Kwiatkowski said both victims suffered “numerous” gunshot wounds. After the shootings, Gerlach turned the gun on himself.
All three were found dead inside the home by police. Cambria Township police are investigating the incident and could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.
According to an obituary submitted to The Tribune-Democrat, the Gerlachs had four children: Kiel, Zachary, Jordan and Gracie.
Kwiatkowski said the children were at David Gerlach’s home in Ebensburg at the time of the shooting.
The children are in the care of Debra Gerlach’s family, Kwiat-kowski said. An account for the children has been established at First National Bank in Vinco.
Debra Gerlach was a 1984 graduate of Conemaugh Valley High School and also a graduate of Mount Aloysius College.
She was a nurse employed by Home Health Agency in Ebensburg.
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