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‘Total shock’: Bozeman community reacts to homicide-suicide investigation

Posted at 7:36 PM, Mar 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-20 21:36:01-04

Earlier Wednesday evening, Bozeman City Police confirmed that the scene inside of the house along Longbow Lane appeared to be that of a murder-suicide.

Importantly, police are not releasing the names while they are still notifying the family.

Neighbors who live in this area say this has shaken their quiet community.

Police tape stretched across Longbow Lane Wednesday afternoon, keeping those like Annalise Pedraza at bay while investigators pieced together what might have happened inside the home.

She says this is something new for this community.

“Not in this neighborhood, no,” Pedraza says. “No, this is like working families, school is right there. Yeah, this is a safe place.”

“The second you hear about it, your first reaction is total shock,” says Jenine Kirschenbaum, who lives a few streets over.

 Jenine says she feels the same.

 “I know a lot of people on this road,” Kirschenbaum says. “My son goes to school with kids who live on this street and I think that that’s also very scary to think anything like that can happen in proximity to your child.”

“I guess I’ll have to hear what happened but maybe I just need to watch my child a little bit more closely,” Pedraza says.

It’s a similar concern that now ripples through those living close by.

“We all feel like we live in a really small, protected, close knit community, especially in a small neighborhood like this,” Kirschenbaum says. “You’re thinking it’s just never going to happen.”

Both say you never know what happens behind closed doors.

Jenine hopes that as the investigation continues, whatever happened, access to mental health services might be a helpful resource.

“We really need to remember that even in a small town like this, that access is incredibly important,” Kirschenbaum says.

Again, the names of both people police say are involved are not being released at this time pending the investigation.

Police add that the public is not in any danger.