Two Boys on Life Support Not Expected to Survive After Mom Allegedly Shoots Them in Head

Trinh T. Nguyen, 38, of Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania in a booking photo. Courtesy of Bucks County District Attorney's Office

A Pennsylvania mother has been arrested for attempted murder after allegedly shooting her two sons in the head while also trying to kill a neighbor, police said.

Trinh Nguyen, 38, was taken into custody at a church in Upper Makefield Township at 11:30 a.m. on Monday about three hours after reports emerged of an armed individual at a home on Timber Ridge Road, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in a news release.

The suspect was arrested without incident and transported to Saint Mary Medical Center due to the “indication that she was under the influence.”

Nguyen is facing charges that include three counts of attempted homicide and possession of an instrument of crime. She was denied bail during an arraignment due to the nature of the offense.

The two boys, ages 9 and 13, are being treated at Saint Mary Medical Center and at least one of them is in surgery, Weintraub said. The suspect’s charges will be upgraded to homicide if the children don’t survive.

Authorities have said the children are not expected to survive and will remain in the hospital so their organs can be donated, ABC6 reported.

Police dispatched to the home at 7:05 a.m. that day over a report of an armed subject. Once there, police learned that Nguyen also tried to kill her ex-husband’s 22-year-old nephew, Gianni Melchiondo.

“Nguyen handed [Melchiondo] a box of photos and asked him to give the box to her ex-husband, whom he worked with,” said Weintraub. “When the victim turned around to face Nguyen, he saw Nguyen pointing a black revolver to his face. Nguyen pulled the trigger two times, but the gun did not fire.”

“[Melchiondo] engaged [Nguyen], wrapped her in a bear hug and eventually disarmed her,” the district attorney added. She then fled the scene in a white Toyota Sienna minivan and a BOLO alert was issued to locate her. She was taken into custody at 11:30 a.m. that same day.

At the scene, responding officers also learned that Nguyen lived with two minor children. Melchiondo and a law enforcement officer checked the suspect’s residence to find the two boys “with gunshot wounds to their heads.”

Relatives of the victims have identified the two boys as Jeffrey “JT” Tini, 13, and Nelson Tini, 9, ABC6 reported.

“He was always ready to play and he was never sad at any moment. He was like the happiest kid I knew,” said Jake Green, a friend of the victims.

A motive for the family shooting has not yet been released.

Police said they obtained evidence Nguyen had attempted suicide, but they didn’t further elaborate on what this evidence might be.

From NTD News