Sixteen people were victims of homicide in Luzerne County in 2020, according to the Luzerne County Coronerâs Office.
The yearâs cases included three people killed by family members, a shooting during a robbery and a suspect who was shot by the police.
Guns were the preferred method of committing homicide, accounting for 11 of the cases. Physical assault was the cause of death in three of the cases, and another case was attributed to injuries sustained in a car crash.
The number of homicides was up from the 12 people who were mortally wounded in Luzerne County in 2019, but was comparable to the total in other years â the county had 15 homicides in 2018, 16 in 2017 and 12 in 2016.
NEWPORT TWP. â A woman and her dog were killed in a fire that broke out at a home early Friday morning.
Firefighters were dispatched to 322 Old Newport St. at 7:26 a.m. to a report of a structure fire, prompting a response from crews across the area. Police confirmed one woman was dead and a man had escaped the fire.
Authorities did not immediately name the woman, but her son identified her as Diane E. McKenzie, 77. John McKenzie, of Hunlock Creek, said his father was the person who escaped the burning home.
âHeâs a mess,â McKenzie said. âHe just wants to be with her now. Such regret. He doesnât know what to do without her.â