STURBRIDGE — A pregnant Belchertown woman drove her vehicle into a hotel in Sturbridge before shooting a man and then herself, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
Sturbridge, Southbridge and Massachusetts State Police responded to the Sturbridge Plaza Hotel, 400 Haynes St., shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday after receiving reports that an SUV had crashed into the hotel and shots had been fired. When officers arrived, they found a hotel guest suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert.
Two officers and a Massachusetts state trooper made contact with the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Olive Openshaw, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, but she shot herself.
“As you could imagine, this was a very stressful call for these officers. On their arrival, we observed someone already had a gunshot wound,” Dessert said in a press conference Thursday. “Despite that, they continued to enter the room without hesitation, located the shooter, and was about to attempt to de-escalate the situation — however, the suspect shot herself.”
EMS on scene unsuccessfully rendered extensive life-saving measures, including use of a portable, automated mechanical CPR device known as the LUCAS machine.
Dessert commended law enforcement officers involved for their bravery and noted that since the situation unfolded in approximately 10 minutes, the public was not in any danger.
The man found shot was transferred to Harrington Hospital, and later transported to UMass Lakeside where he was last reported as having been in critical condition.
An employee at the Sturbridge Plaza Hotel declined to comment on the incident when reached by phone Monday.
