70-Year-Old Woman Dies After Standoff, Fire In Peters Twp.
PETERS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A woman is dead following a standoff and fire in Washington County.
Claire Rush, 70, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Allegheny General Hospital.
She was taken into custody at her home in the 100-block of Spring Street in Peters Township.
When the standoff ended, Rush was flown to AGH where she died.
Police were attempting to serve a protection from abuse order against Mrs. Rush brought by her husband around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. It said that he was afraid she would harm him.
She threatened to set the house on fire and fired a shot as police approached.
"We assumed she was firing at us," Peters Township Police Chief Harry Fruecht said.
"As I said, we had conversations with her after that on the phone. My vehicle's in the driveway, she says, 'Get off my property.'
"I said, 'I'm not going up there and moving my car. You fired at us.'
"She says, 'I fired into the ceiling,'" Fruecht said.
Neighbors who were told to go into their basements while the incident unfolded say they aren't surprised.
"This has been going on for years," Kim Marosz, a neighbor said. "We've actually had disputes with them. I've been down to the magistrate with them over disputes with them through the years."
"We knew that this was coming," she added.
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