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3 dead after argument over shoveling snow escalates

Authorities said James and Lisa Goy were killed Monday after Jeffrey Spaide confronted them for shoveling snow away from their parking spaces and onto his property, reports said.
Authorities said James and Lisa Goy were killed Monday after Jeffrey Spaide confronted them for shoveling snow away from their parking spaces and onto his property, reports said.
Updated Feb 3, 2021

A disagreement between neighbors over snow shoveling escalated to a shooting that left three people dead in Plains, Pennsylvania.

Authorities said James and Lisa Goy were killed Monday after Jeffrey Spaide confronted them for shoveling snow away from their parking spaces and onto his property, reports said.

The couple lived across the street from Spaide, who was later found dead inside his home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Monday’s incident outside Wilkes-Barre began about 9 a.m. when Spaide, also shoveling snow in his driveway, walked over and told the Goys to stop, according to a statement from the Luzerne County district attorney’s office.

The confrontation was not the first between the households, which got into another disagreement following a snowstorm two months ago, reports said.

The latest dispute escalated fast, and Spaide walked back inside his house briefly and reemerged firing a handgun, reports said.

Several bullets hit the Goys “at close range,” leaving them on the ground wounded but still alive, according to Plains Township Police Chief Dale Binker, who spoke to CNN. Spaide then ducked inside his house again and came out with an AR-style rifle, which he also used, Binker said.

As police arrived, they heard a single gunshot from inside Spaide’s home. The Goys were pronounced dead at the scene.

Also dead was Spaide, who was unknown to police before the deadly incident.

The Goys had a 15-year-old son with autism, whose grandparents are now assuming custody, according to Binker, who added that the investigation was closed.

About the Author

ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.

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