MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) — A memorial is growing on the steps of the YWCA in downtown Manchester, N.H. after a father shot his 9-year-old son to death during a supervised weekend visit and then killed himself.
Friends say Muni Savyon and his son’s mother had a long, bitter custody battle over their 9-year-old son Joshua. Joshua’s mother had filed a restraining order against Savyon in May 2012 and was trying to extend the restraining order for this year. The extended restraining order would mean more supervised visits, which was something Savyon was trying to fight.
“It’s been fairly contentious on the perpetrator’s party, on Muni’s part, where he made threats against him in the past,” said Asst. Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin.
The attorney general’s office said Savyon was in a room with his son and a counselor when Savyon pulled out a gun and shot his son, then himself on Sunday.
Investigators are now looking into an email Savyon sent to a friend with a chilling warning.
“Something to the effect that ‘I’m going to do this and by the time you might read this email it will be too late’,” said a friend of Savyon.
“We have heard about the email. That’s something that the Manchester Police Department has obtained and they are going to be reviewing that and also speaking to the person who received that email,” said Strelzin.
The counselor who was in the room was not harmed. All other employees were escorted out by police.
The YWCA was closed Monday, but released a statement saying in part, “The YWCA New Hampshire is devastated by the senseless act of violence that occurred in our visitation center yesterday…while closed today we anticipate opening sometime this week.”
The attorney general’s office said the YWCA used to have security guards, but because of budget cuts they don’t have them anymore. The YWCA does have a metal detector wand at the front door, but apparently didn’t use it on Sunday.