Man guns down three, then kills himself in Connecticut

WATERBURY, Conn. - A man went on a killing spree Saturday, gunning down three people, including a firefighter who was collecting money for charity, before shooting himself to death, police said.

The gunman knew all three victims but authorities hadn't determined why he targeted them. One victim was a neighbor and another was the mother of an ex-girlfriend.

''It appears to be some sort of domestic situation. All three victims are somewhat related in that they knew the suspect,'' Mayor Philip Giordano said.

The shooting spree began when the suspect, identified as Mark Cote, 29, got into an argument with Brian Miller, 30, who lived in the same multiple family home as Cote, police said.

Police Superintendent Edward Flaherty said Cote shot Miller while his neighbor was sitting in his car, dragged him out and shot him again before fleeing in the car.

Flaherty said Cote had two guns, a 9 mm Glock and a 9 mm Tech.

After shooting Miller, police said Cote drove a few miles to an intersection where four firefighters were collecting money from motorists for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Cote shot and killed firefighter Jamie Quinones, 38, then fled, police said.

About 15 minutes later, Maria Perez, 23, told an emergency dispatcher that Cote had shot and killed her mother.

Police arrived at the house and heard a gunshot. They found Cote dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the second floor. The body of Maria Hernandez, 40, was found on the first floor.

Waterbury is about 25 miles southwest of Hartford.