LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Neighbors of a woman who was found murdered inside her Lowell apartment say they are terrified and shocked by the violent act.
Authorities said Nicole White, 44, was shot and killed in front of her young child Thursday morning by her former boyfriend, 51-year-old Ross Elliot. The child was not harmed.
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The incident sparked an immediate manhunt. Hundreds of police officers, K9 units and helicopters descended upon the Stevens Street neighborhood, making for a chaotic and tense situation.
“The woman is a good mother. She always took good care of her daughter,” one neighbor told 7News.
A “shelter in place” was given while crews scoured the area in search of Elliot. The lockdown in the area has since been lifted. Elliot was found dead Friday.
An off-duty firefighter said he encountered Elliott hiding under a motorcycle case in his yard Thursday around 4:30 p.m. The firefighter said Elliott crawled out with a gun in his hand, telling the firefighter he wanted to be left alone and wanted to die. He then ran down Pine Street toward Lowell center. The firefighter was not injured.
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“She’s a very good woman. No mother deserves to go like that,” the neighbor said.
The neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told 7News that she has seen Elliot in the area before and that he never seemed suspicious.
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