‘Perfect American family’: Neighbor of NY police officer who ‘murdered wife and sons’ before turning gun on himself describes his shock at the horrific massacre
- Watson Morgan, 49, is accused of fatally shooting his wife Ornela, 43, and their two sons, aged 10 and 12, before turning the gun on himself
- Their bodies were discovered on Saturday after police conducted a welfare check when Morgan failed to show up for work
- Shocked neighbors in New City describe them as a 'perfect' family
Neighbors of the New York police officer accused of shooting his wife and children before turning the gun on himself have described them as the “perfect American family.”
Sergeant Watson Morgan, 49, of the Bronxville Police Department, was found dead Saturday of self-inflicted gunshot wounds next to his wife Ornela Morgan, 43, and their two young sons.
Speaking to the New York Post, a neighbor described them as the “textbook, perfect American family.”
'We are in shock. Everyone in this community is shocked,” the neighbor added.
Officers conducted a welfare check on the family at home in New City, a wealthy hamlet in the city of Bronxville, when Morgan didn't show up for work.
Sergeant Watson Morgan of the Bronxville Police Department allegedly shot and killed his wife and sons before shooting himself
The bodies of the 49-year-old, his wife Ornela Morgan, 43, and their two sons, aged 10 and 12, were discovered in their home on Saturday after he failed to show up for duty.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, neighbors have described the Morgans as 'the textbook, perfect American family'
A gun was recovered and all four were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Sergeant Morgan did not show up for evening duty last night and our police contacted the Clarkstown Police Department in his hometown, who made the discovery,” the Bronxville Police Department said in a statement.
“Our thoughts go out to Sergeant Morgan's extended family. Our thoughts and prayers are also with his family at the Bronxville Police Department.”
The sudden tragedy left neighbors on the quiet cul-de-sac reeling.
A woman who asked not to be named said: 'The kids were always out here playing, and their mum was just the sweetest person you ever met.'
Ornela Morgan was a teacher in the New York City public education system.
The couple's sons, ages 10 and 12, attended school in the Clarkstown Central School District.
The 10-year-old attended Laurel Plains Elementary School, while the 12-year-old attended Felix Festa Middle School.
The city of Clarkstown announced that grief counselors would be made available to students in the district.
Ornela Morgan was a public school teacher in New York City, while the couple's young sons attended school in the Clarkstown Central School District
Morgan joined the New York City Police Department in 2000 and the Bronxville Police Department in 2007
The father of two was expected to retire from the police force in March
Another neighbor on the quiet cul-de-sac described Morgan's 43-year-old wife as 'the sweetest person you've ever met'
Morgan began his career with the New York Police Department in 2000 before joining the force in Bronxville seven years later.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2016 and was scheduled to retire from the force in March.
The 49-year-old's social media profiles are full of photos of the family grinning while on vacation and watching baseball games.
The last post on Watson's Facebook, from 2022, shows him and his eldest son attending a concert at the Barclays Center.
“As we try to make sense of this unimaginable tragedy, our hearts break for the family involved in this devastating murder-suicide in Clarkstown,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said.
The county medical examiner's office will conduct autopsies as the investigation continues.