Authorities are investigating a devastating case of domestic violence in Brighton, New York, where an 11-year-old girl and her grandmother were shot to death by the girl’s father before he took his own life. The tragedy unfolded on Hollyvale Drive on Friday, shortly before noon, when police responded to reports of an unresponsive child.
According to WHAM, Anne Mancuso, 11, was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds. Inside the neighboring home, officers found 74-year-old Mary Liccini, Anne’s grandmother, also fatally shot. The shooter, Lawrence Mancuso, 53, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi described the incident as “a terrible case of domestic violence.” Lawrence Mancuso, who had been on leave from his role as assistant dean of human resources at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations, lived separately from his daughter on Hollyvale Drive.
Anne, a student in the Brighton Central School District, was remembered as a “kind, sweet, and beautiful person in every way,” according to a statement from Superintendent Kevin McGowan. He expressed profound sorrow and offered condolences to Anne’s mother, Sarah Liccini, and her family.
“The peaceful tranquility of a winter morning was brutally broken yesterday in one of our neighborhoods, and the life of an incredible child and her grandmother were taken,” McGowan wrote. “The circumstances are the very definition of unexplainable, surreal, and tragic in every way.”
To support those grieving, the district provided counseling for students, staff, and families over the weekend and on Monday at Twelve Corners Middle School. A GoFundMe campaign was created to assist Anne’s mother, Sarah Liccini, with immediate expenses, memorial arrangements, and long-term recovery needs.
The page, which set a goal of $110,000, had raised nearly $78,000 by Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 7. “This devastating loss left Sarah, her father, John Liccini, and her family reeling after such a horrific event,” the fundraiser stated. “We are rallying together to support Sarah and her family during this time of unbelievable loss and grief.”
The Brighton community continues to grapple with the shocking incident, which shattered the lives of a family and left many searching for answers to an unimaginable tragedy.