Community to hold prayer service for brothers shot in Upper Makefield home Monday

Bucks County Courier Times
·3 min read

The shooting of two young brothers has devastated the Upper Makefield community where they lived and attended Council Rock Schools.

That community will come together Tuesday night to remember the boys, who were just 9 and 13 when police say their mother shot and critically wounded them early Monday morning as they lay in their beds. The boys were being kept on life support so their organs could be donated and were not expected to survive their injuries.

"We are deeply grieved at the tragedy that has happened in our community of Upper Makefield Township. As you may have seen, the person involved was arrested on our church property this morning," wrote The Crossing Church on its Facebook page. "While the family involved in this heartbreaking event was not apart of our church family, we do pray for them as well as for our community."

The church will hold a "Prayers for Comfort" gathering Tuesday at 7 p.m. The public is invited to the church at 1895 Wrightstown Road.

A vigil was also held Monday night in Newtown. The boys are being remembered as sweet kids. The older brother was remembered online as a volunteer at school who would help each morning in a special needs class, while his younger brother was remembered as a funny boy who loved being with his older brother.

More:Council Rock community mourns as family with Upper Makefield shooting

More:What we know about Upper Makefield shooting

Investigators work on the scene of an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot Monday morning. Their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was arrested and charged in the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.
Investigators work on the scene of an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot Monday morning. Their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was arrested and charged in the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

More:Upper Makefield mom who police say shot sons, 10 and 13, was facing eviction Tuesday

Trinh Nguyen, 38, was arrested in the church lot on Wrightstown Road in Upper Makefield on Monday morning, hours after she fled her home after police say she shot her boys and tried to shoot a 22-year-old neighbor, the son of her landlord and the nephew of her ex-husband.

Nguyen, with her children, lived separately from the man on the property on Timber Ridge Road. Authorities described the house as a duplex, and court documents described an in-law suite type unit in the large Cape Cod built on three acres in a neighborhood off Highland Road near Woodhill Road.

She was arraigned Monday on four counts of felony attempted homicide and one count of possessing an instrument of crime, which is a misdemeanor. She was denied bail and taken to Bucks County Corrections. Charges will be upgrade to homicide when the children die, as they are not expected to survive, authorities said.

The Council Rock School District has also offered support for students.

'I am deeply saddened to send this communication to you in light of the well-publicized tragedy involving two Council Rock students today. A tragic event is always difficult to process for all of us, especially our children,' said Acting Superintendent Susan Elliott. "We tend to process such information in different ways and at different paces. It is not uncommon to experience difficulty eating, sleeping, or concentrating. For more information about how to cope with these types of tragic events, please visit the grief resources on our website ... Please know that we will continue to monitor our students and staff and provide them the support they need while they are at school.

'When these types of tragic events occur in our community, it’s important that we pull together to support each other. I humbly ask you to keep the family, our students, our staff, and our community in your thoughts and prayers."

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero shared the contact info for the Network of Victims Assistance that can offer counseling and crisis services.

“This morning an unspeakable tragedy occurred in Upper Makefield Township when two young children were shot in a domestic incident in their home ... As the two victims remain on life support, awaiting organ donation, my heart breaks for the young lives taken too soon, he said. "The police and EMTs from Upper Makefield Township Police Department and the neighboring departments that provided support deserve our thanks and appreciation for all they did today, and all they do every day, in responding to crisis situations like this."

NOVA can be reached at 1-800-675-6900.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Vigil set for Upper Makefield boys shot in their home by their mother