Cops expand search area for Aaron Pennington who fled after his wife, Breanne, was found shot dead in her bedroom as investigators admit Air Force vet’s training would have included survivalist skills

Massachusetts police are expanding their manhunt for U.S. Air Force veteran Aaron Pennington, admitting his military training is “part of the equation” in the battle against the U.S. Air Force. continuous search.

Pennington, 33, has been on the run for three days after fatally shooting his wife and mother of his four children Breanne, 30, in the face on Sunday morning.

The veteran’s white BMW sedan was found abandoned in woods near his home in Gardner, Massachusetts, becoming the focus of the search.

At a press conference on Tuesday, authorities said they were expanding the manhunt in a forest covering more than 500 hectares after a number of law enforcement agencies and tactical teams descended on the area.

After Pennington’s vehicle was discovered on Monday, a Code Red warning was issued for area residents to remain in their homes for several hours.

Officials said the warning was issued only out of “an abundance of caution,” but added in an update Tuesday that they were moving back into the area near Camp Collier, a community forest for Boy Scouts.

Investigators added that they “believe him to be alive,” and warned the public not to approach Pennington if they think they see him because he is considered armed and very dangerous.

When asked if his military experience could play a role in the manhunt, officials acknowledged that survival skills were “part of the training” and that it was “part of the equation” in the search.

Pennington spent eight years in the U.S. Air Force as a “special mission aircraft maintainer” and now works at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, where he also has an “active classified clearance,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

He is described as white and 6 feet tall, with blond hair and blue eyes.

Several agencies responded to the area Tuesday morning after the car was found, including the state’s Special Tactical Operations team.

Crews were armed with tactical gear, including long guns, while helicopters circled overhead.

Pennington allegedly shot his wife in their home around 9 a.m. Sunday, sending the couple’s four children — ages two, five, seven and nine — running to a neighbor’s house.

An officer on scene reported that the children ran to their neighbor because they were “scared because they couldn’t find their father and their mother was crying in her bedroom.”

When police entered the house, they found Breanne in an upstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the face, and Aaron’s car was gone from the driveway.

The complaint alleges that Pennington possesses an illegally possessed firearm without a permit to carry it, and although three shell casings were found in the bedroom, no firearms were found in the home.

Breanne was also known to have a gun in her home for protection, police said.

Surveillance footage showed the 33-year-old fleeing in a white BMW sedan at 8:50 a.m. on Sunday.

As police hunt for Pennington for a third day, Breanne’s heartbroken family shared their shock at the loss of the “loving, caring, compassionate” mother of four.

‘We are all in shock about this. We are all in shock. We had no idea something like this would ever happen,” said Brooke Pertile, Breanne’s sister Boston25.

‘He better turn himself in. He needs to stand up for what he did and turn himself in. And don’t be a coward. He must turn himself in. He has to do it for the children.’

Pertile said her sister lived for their children and was a “very loving, caring, compassionate woman” who “always saw the best in everything and in people.”

“She absolutely lit up the room like no other, every room she walked into,” she added.

A criminal complaint revealed that the Penningtons’ marriage was problematic because Breanne planned to take their children to Texas and away from Aaron.

The complaint also alleges that Aaron suffered from mental illness and had threatened to kill himself.

‘From the outside he was a very nice person. But he struggles with a number of mental health issues. It just got worse,” said Breanne’s sister, who said she spoke to her three days before the shooting.

The couple’s children who fled for help are now reportedly in state care.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson said that while the city has received numerous requests to hold a vigil for Breanne, he asked for a postponement “due to the fact that the investigation is still ongoing and because the suspect remains at large.”

After news of her death emerged, social media was flooded with posts commemorating Breanne’s life, with several women saying they knew her from an online group because she was pregnant.

“Imagine my shock when I was scrolling and said to myself, ‘That looks like Breezy’s husband, what happened?’ just to find out he killed her and ran away,” one woman wrote.

“I am absolutely SICK about this and thinking of her four precious babies. Breezy Pennington was an amazing mother, a hilarious friend and a truly sweet soul.”

“I’m hurt, sad, frustrated, angry and most of all confused as to why anyone should take someone else’s life because they are unhappy,” another friend wrote.

“We all want justice for you and want nothing but the best for your four beautiful children that we all know you loved so much.”