The Hartford, Connecticut, Police Department has identified the victims of a suspected murder-suicide that occurred on July 24.
The deceased couple, Irving Lollar, 35, and Crystal Cooper, 24, were found dead in their shared apartment, making it the 21st homicide in Hartford this year.
According to Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert, Lollar and Cooper were in a romantic relationship. Cooper’s family found the two deceased gunshot victims in the apartment when they came to check on her, because she had not responded to calls or gone to work.
Breanna Diaz, Cooper’s sister, set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses, expressing the pain of losing a loved one in such circumstances. Cooper was a dedicated caregiver at Horizon Dental and had recently moved out to start a new chapter in her life.
Cooper’s murder marks the ninth intimate partner homicide in Connecticut this year, with three occurring in the last month, according to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Meghan Scanlon, president and CEO of the coalition, emphasized the significance of addressing domestic violence as a public health crisis.
Lt. Boisvert highlighted the concerning trend of personal disputes escalating to gun violence, similar to the situation in the previous year. Law enforcement and the community are called to work together to prevent such incidents in the future.