JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WVEC) -- Police believe a mother shot her 12-year-old son then shot herself Wednesday morning, killing both of them.
Emergency dispatchers received a call from 35-year-old Jenell Georgia Gallegos shortly before 9:20 a.m. Police said Gallegos was distraught during the call and may have been experiencing a mental health episode.
Police and medics went to Gallegos' home in the 2600 block of Little Creek Dam Road where they believe Gallegos shot her son, Noah.
Officers forced their way into the house and found Gallegos dead. Medics started to take Noah to the hospital, but he died on the way there.
Noah was a sixth-grade student at Toano Middle School.
Williamsburg/James City County Schools spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith said counselors were available to talk to students at the school about the situation. The division also provided additional support for faculty and staff members.
Overkamp-Smith said the school would send a communication to Toano Middle School families so they were aware of what happened, and so that parents were aware of the resources that were available.
Pam Wilson's daughter, Amber, is in 7th Grade at Toano Middle School.
“That’s something that we are probably going to have to sit down and talk about. It's very upsetting. Why would a mother hurt her own child? I can’t fathom it at all,” said Wilson.
“I know some people who are very close to him,” said Amber. “He was a good student and he was good in school.”
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