ST. JAMES, NY – A tranquil Long Island community was jolted late Wednesday night when a father allegedly orchestrated a fatal home invasion that claimed the lives of his ex-wife and her boyfriend. Daniel Coppola, 50, is facing two charges of second-degree murder after police say he fatally shot Kelly Coppola, 50, and Kenneth “Kenny” Pohlman Jr., 53, while the couple slept in their St. James residence.

The tragic events reportedly commenced when Daniel Coppola asked his 15-year-old daughter to leave the house and sit in his car, according to officials. After the teen complied, Coppola allegedly hid in the bushes, then forced his way into the home, where he opened fire on the couple.

Kenneth Pohlman Sr., the father of one of the victims, recounted the harrowing sequence of events. “He left her in the car, went behind the bush, broke down the door, and did what he did. When he came back, he told his daughter, ‘I killed your mother and Kenny,'” Pohlman Sr. shared.

Tom Pohlman, the brother of Kenneth Pohlman Jr., revealed that the suspect had forcefully entered the home before shooting the victims. “He shot down the front door, ran upstairs, shot Kenneth and Kelly without mercy,” Tom Pohlman said.

Following the shootings, Daniel Coppola drove off with his daughter still in the car. The teen began texting friends, who then contacted the authorities. She also made a 911 call, indicating that her father was threatening to take his own life.

As they drove from the crime scene to Harbor Road, the teen’s texts included desperate messages to her friends. “I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know how my mother is,” she wrote, prompting her friends to try reaching Kelly Coppola. When they couldn’t get through, they alerted the police.

Responding officers discovered the bodies of Kelly Coppola and Kenneth Pohlman Jr. around midnight. They apprehended the suspect at his Harbor Road home shortly after.

Under New York law, second-degree murder includes intentionally causing the death of another person or recklessly creating a grave risk of death that results in someone’s death. This case could see Daniel Coppola prosecuted under any of these provisions.

In a video released Friday, Daniel Coppola was seen in custody, handcuffed, and wearing jail attire as he was transported to a police van, silent throughout the process. A community now grieves as they come to terms with a shocking act of violence that destroyed two families and left indelible scars.