June 16, 2015
An off-duty New Jersey police officer shot and killed his ex-wife with his 7-year-old daughter in the front seat of his car, The Asbury Park Press reports.
According to authorities, Sgt. Phillip Siedle of the Neptune Township Police Deparment chased his ex-wife Tamara Siedle through the streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey, when Tamara crashed into a parked car.
Phillip Seidle then walked up to her car, firing several shots into the driver-side window. Officers nearby responding to an unrelated accident began to speak to Seidle, who put the gun to his own head following the initial shots.
Police officers were able to talk Seidle into letting them take his daughter out of the front seat of his car. Seidle then fired several shots into his ex-wife's windshield, and put the gun back to his own head, leading to a 30-minute standoff before agreeing to surrender to police.
A witness told The Asbury Park Press that Seidle was yelling at his wife about custody battles. The couple's divorce was finalized last month, and together they had nine children between the ages of 7 and 24.
According to The Associated Press, Tamara Seidle was taken to the hospital following the shooting where she died shortly after.
Seidle has been charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
Read more from The Asbury Park Press here.
