Police are examining a possible link between the double homicide and an armed man who later died after a lengthy SEPTA bus standoff.
PHILADELPHIA — Two women identified by relatives as a mother and daughter died after they were found shot inside a burning Philadelphia home early Monday, while a man police suspected of involvement later died after barricading himself for hours aboard a SEPTA bus.
The two scenes, nearly five miles apart, prompted homicide, fire and SWAT investigations that continued through much of Oct. 12. Police had not announced a motive or publicly detailed the evidence linking the armed man to the killings. Family members identified the women as 78-year-old Sadie Turner and her daughter, Gabby Turner, who was in her 20s. Authorities had not independently released their identities by late Monday.
Philadelphia firefighters responded shortly after 3:40 a.m. to a home on Williams Avenue in the Cedarbrook area, which some local reports described as East Mount Airy. Fire crews encountered a house fire and removed two adult women from the property, according to police and local news reports. Both women had suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The fire was brought under control about half an hour after crews arrived. Police homicide detectives and the Philadelphia Fire Department began separate but related investigations into the deaths and the blaze. Authorities had not announced what caused the fire or whether it had been intentionally set. Police also had not released details about what happened inside the house before emergency crews arrived.
About an hour after the fire response began, a SEPTA Route 18 bus reached the Fox Chase Loop at Oxford Avenue and Loney Street. SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the operator, an armed man and one other passenger were aboard when the bus stopped. The other passenger got off without incident, and the driver also exited after summoning police.
The armed man remained alone inside the bus after police arrived, beginning a barricade that lasted for hours. Officers closed surrounding streets, and SEPTA diverted bus and rail service around the Fox Chase transportation hub. Police negotiators and SWAT officers worked throughout the day as authorities attempted to resolve the situation. No police officers or transit workers were reported injured.
Police said the man was believed to be connected to the deaths of the two women, though investigators had not publicly described the evidence establishing that connection. Family members later identified him to local news organizations as Lonnie Turner. Relatives said he was connected to the victims through their family, but police had not formally confirmed all of those relationships or publicly identified him by late Monday.
The barricade ended shortly after 5 p.m. Police said the man suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to Jefferson Abington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death left detectives trying to reconstruct the events that preceded the house fire, determine how the shootings occurred and establish the full connection between the Williams Avenue deaths and the confrontation on the bus.
Local television reports said relatives described Sadie Turner as the man’s adoptive mother and Gabby Turner as his sister. Those family relationships came from relatives rather than an official police identification. Investigators had not announced a criminal charge in connection with the women’s deaths before the armed man’s death, and no court case had been filed against him in the homicide investigation.
The case remained under investigation as police and fire officials worked to determine a motive, the cause of the fire and the sequence of events linking the two locations. Authorities had not announced whether a firearm recovered during the barricade was connected to the shootings at the home or released a final determination on responsibility for the women’s deaths.
Author note: Last updated October 12, 2026.