What to Know
- Bruce Rogal, armed with guns, took out his 'grudge against the world' on his ex-wife and parents, the Chester County district attorney said.
- Investigators say Rogal a final divorce order received earlier on Sept. 19 "set him off."
- Rogal was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police fired on his crashed minivan.
A gunman who rampaged through Chester County last week, killing his elderly parents and shooting at his ex-wife, took his own life during a gun battle with police, officials revealed Wednesday morning.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Bruce Rogal was "a man who had a grudge against the world."
"All that grudge, all that rage, culminated on Sept. 19, the same day his divorce decree was mailed out to him," Hogan said.
The 59-year-old Glenmore man killed himself early Thursday after a seven-hour manhunt and brief police chase, Hogan said at a Wednesday morning news conference.
Rogal and his ex-wife have an adult son who was in Philadelphia about to take a train home to the West Bradford home he lived in with his mother when his mother told him about the Wednesday evening shooting, Hogan said. The son called his grandparents to warn them when the phone went dead as he spoke to his grandmother.
The executive director of the Bellingham Retirement community in East Goshen opened the door to the Rogals' room around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday to find both Walter, 89, and Nancy, 87, sitting next to each other in their recliners, each dead of gunshot wounds to the head.
"They had both been executed... killed by their own ungrateful son," Hogan said.
Bruce Rogal's killing spree started around 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 19 when he drove to the house he had shared with his ex-wife in West Bradford Township. Rogal shot at her several times as she changed her car's oil in the driveway. Rogal missed and the woman ran for help at a neighbor's home.
Then, Rogal drove to his parents' retirement center and killed them both.
Rogal's grudge against his parents went on for years, according to Hogan. He blamed his mother for dropping him out of a bassinet as a child and often complained about his parents and siblings, officials said.
But Rogal's fury extended beyond his family.
He was unemployed at the time of his rampage, having suffered a back injury, and angry with most of the people he came in contact with, Hogan said.
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“Everybody he ran into he disliked, he despised, he fought with, he complained about, that included his own family,” Hogan said.
The killings stunned suburban neighborhoods outside of Philadelphia and led to blockades and lockdowns that stretched for miles. Hogan said police in Chester County were alerted to be on the lookout for many hours.
Authorities also made a push on social media and in the news around 10 p.m., seeking the public's help. "That paid off," Hogan said.
Around 11 p.m. on the night of the shootings, police got a call from Rogal's friend. Rogal reportedly stopped for a beer at the friend's house in East Fallowfield and acted "like nothing happened," never saying a word about his murderous spree. Rogal stayed at the home from about 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
A trooper heading to the East Fallowfield home then spotted Rogal's minivan driving near the agency's Embreeville Barracks shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday.
A high-speed chase ensued as police realized that Rogal was heading back to his ex-wife's neighborhood, Hogan said. When they arrived at her house, Rogal had crashed his car into the home.
Troopers got out and told Rogal to put down the gun he held, Hogan said. Rogal appeared to turn toward the troopers and troopers opened fire.
Rogal was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the driver's seat, surrounded by a Glock handgun and Bushmaster M-4 Carbine rifle. It was unclear if Rogal was already dead before troopers opened fire, Hogan said.
No troopers were hurt during the incident.
Rogal had a "minor criminal history," Hogan said. But, he had a long history of domestic violence incidents involving his ex-wife, according to a protection from abuse order she obtained in June 2015.
He had previously surrendered his guns after the PFA was issued, but got his firearms back after the order expired in 2017, Hogan said.
Rogal spent his last days up late at night looking at pornography websites, Hogan said.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or 800-787-3224 (TTY) provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: Here is information on suicide prevention from the National Institute of Mental Health. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.
