Law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania are searching for a suspect who shot a teacher to death in a Dunkin’ drive-thru while her 11-year-old son was in the backseat, according to a press release from the district attorney’s (DA) office.
Rachel King, a seventh and eighth grade teacher at Grover Cleveland Elementary in Philadelphia, was brutally murdered in front of her son while sitting in a Dunkin’ drive-thru line on the morning of April 11, ABC News reported. Prosecutors allege the suspected gunman approached the 35-year-old teacher’s vehicle from the driver’s side and fired multiple shots at her through the window, according to a press release from the Montgomery County DA’s Office.
UPDATE: On Tuesday afternoon, officials identified the victim of this incident as Rachel King, 35, of Elkins Park. https://t.co/VjsRYYmmul
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) April 11, 2023
“This appears to be a targeted murder,” Montgomery County DA Kevin Steele said in a statement. The gunman “did not attempt to open the victim’s vehicle door, nor did he appear to communicate with her prior to shooting her numerous times through her driver’s side window,” Steele continued. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Kills Wife, Attempts Suicide In Front Of Their Children)
Investigators are looking for the driver of a light-colored sedan, potentially a Ford or Mercury, that was reportedly seen driving directly behind King’s vehicle prior to the shooting and allegedly parked near the scene of the crime. The suspect was seen wearing light pants with a dark hoodie covering his head at the time of the murder, according to the press release.
“We are devastated by the loss of an extraordinary teacher, who spent the last 10 years working with our students and their families,” Mastery Charter Schools said in a statement obtained by ABC.
“She’d light up the room,” King’s brother, Allen, told the outlet.
“She was bright in every way possible, whether it was her shoes, her hair, her nails, her voice. And she was just a good person,” he added.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding King’s murder to contact Cheltenham Township police or Montgomery County Detectives.