In the early morning hours of Thursday, June 19, 2014, a tragic event unfolded along the shore of Lake Erie in Barcelona, a hamlet within the town of Westfield, NY. Nicole Marie Sheehan, a 29-year-old female, was with her boyfriend, 38-year-old Sam Reynolds, when she sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. Despite her grave injury, Sheehan managed to seek help at a nearby residence on Route 5. Emergency services were alerted, and she was rushed to UPMC Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, for medical attention.
The incident was investigated by the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office as an attempted murder-suicide. Shortly after Sheehan was found, deputies discovered the body of Sam Reynolds at the Barcelona harbor break wall. It is believed that he died by suicide after shooting Sheehan. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the violent encounter continued, but the primary suspect in Sheehan's shooting was deceased.
Nicole Marie Sheehan, who was a primary instructor at People, Inc. and originally from Lancaster, succumbed to her injuries and passed away at the hospital on Friday, June 20, 2014. Her death was the result of the gunshot wound she sustained in what authorities had described as an attempted murder and subsequent suicide.
