Shooter Asked Woman 'How Do You Want to Die'

A 32-year-old Tiverton woman walked into Franklin & Company Interiors in Newport Tuesday morning with a gun and threatened to shoot people inside before confronting one woman with a knife and gun and asking her how she wanted to die.

announced this morning that the first call they received about reported that a woman was inside the building threatening people with a handgun. When they arrived, officers say they could hear shouting from inside the building, and as they were entering several people fled and a gun shot was heard. Officers entered Franklin & Company and found a woman lying face down in the office area, bleeding from the head. One of the individuals fleeing from the building was a 28-year-old Newport woman who was bleeding from the head and torso.

The 28-year-old woman told officers that Jennifer Allen, 32, of Tiverton, arrived at Franklin & Company and began shouting at her and others. Allen reportedly confronted the woman with a handgun and large knife saying "how do you want to die...pick one."

At some point, Allen allegedly stabbed the employee twice in the torso area as well as inflicting a head wound. None of these injured proved to be life threatening. The woman was treated and released from .

During the confrontation, several employees of Franklin and Company were ordered to the floor and Allen also threatened to kill them. Officers searched and secured the interior of the building while members of tended to the person with what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Newport Fire personnel advised police that the head wound was fatal and declared that she had died. No other individuals were injured.

Uniformed officers secured the scene for further investigation and evacuated the other occupants of the building that housed Franklin and Company. During the follow up investigation Newport Detectives interviewed all known occupants of the building at 11 Memorial Blvd including those from Franklin and Company. Police located a 9mm handgun and a large knife.

The investigation continues with detectives and the Office of the State Medical Examiner attending a post mortem examination scheduled for this morning.

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