On the evening of October 31st, in the quiet suburb of Strongsville, Ohio, what began as a routine night at home turned into unimaginable tragedy. At around 8:05 p.m., officers from the Strongsville Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 22400 block of Rock Creek Circle following reports of gunshots.
Upon arrival, first responders found 49-year-old Gina Guyer of Strongsville seriously wounded by gunfire. Inside the home stood 74-year-old Gene Tomcho of North Ridgeville, armed and refusing to surrender. Police say they repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon, but instead he took his own life with the firearm. The EMS then rushed both Guyer and Tomcho to MetroHealth Medical Center. Guyer later died of her injuries; Tomcho survived and remains hospitalized under police guard.
Official records from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office confirm the victim as Gina Guyer and reveal that the shooting occurred just after 8 p.m. on Halloween night. Authorities say the suspect, Gene Tomcho, now faces charges of murder and felonious assault, with additional charges anticipated as the investigation proceeds.
Though the police have not detailed the exact nature of the relationship between Guyer and Tomcho, they clarified that this was an isolated incident involving family members—not a random act of violence or threat to the broader community. The Strongsville Police stressed there is no danger to the public at large.
In the wake of the tragedy, friends and neighbors of Guyer describe her as a warm, compassionate presence in the neighborhood—a kind soul whose life was cut far too short. The home on Rock Creek Circle that evening, normally a place of peace, now holds the memory of sudden loss. The larger community is grappling with the shock of a person they knew vanishing within a matter of minutes.
Investigators continue to examine the circumstances: what prompted the shooting, how the confrontation unfolded, and whether there were warning signs beforehand. Police promise further details will be released in the coming days as forensic results and witness accounts are evaluated. For now, a small Ohio neighborhood mourns one of its own.