In a quiet Wading River home, a domestic dispute escalated into a tragic double murder-suicide on a cold February night in 2015. Tanya Lawrence, a 43-year-old case worker, was shot and killed by her boyfriend, 44-year-old Thomas Calhoun. The violence that erupted was the culmination of a long and difficult breakup between the couple.
Arguments had been heard from the home on 12th Street from time to time after Calhoun had moved in.
On that fatal Sunday night, the simmering tensions boiled over. The couple's argument turned violent, and Calhoun shot Tanya Lawrence. In the midst of the chaos, Lawrence's 14-year-old daughter, Brandy, bravely called 911 to report that her mother had been shot before managing to escape the house.
Tragically, Tanya's 17-year-old daughter, Danielle Lawrence, was also killed by Calhoun, likely as she tried to come to her mother's aid. After murdering both mother and daughter, Thomas Calhoun then turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. The devastating event left the community in shock and mourning for the loss of a mother and her young daughter.
Hundreds gathered to say their final goodbyes at a joint funeral for Tanya and Danielle. Tanya was remembered as a giving person who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and had dedicated her work to helping families and individuals with disabilities. Her daughter Danielle was a high school sophomore involved in the orchestra, theater, and sports, with aspirations of also helping people with disabilities. The community rallied around the surviving family members, raising funds to help with funeral expenses and establishing a scholarship in Danielle's name.
