MEMPHIS, TN. — Police said an Orange County man who fatally shot himself during a traffic stop in Tennessee was a quadruple amputee who was suspected in the deaths of his parents in Orlando.
Memphis police said Wednesday that 30-year-old Sean Petrozzino died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head during a traffic stop in a Memphis neighborhood on Monday.
Officers said they heard a "pop" sound as they exited their car and found the driver dead. A pistol was found in the vehicle, but authorities said it wasn’t the murder weapon used in Petrozinno's parents' deaths.
"Our detectives say the murder weapon was a high-powered rifle that has not yet been recovered," said Jane Watrel of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives from the Orange County Sheriff's Office had been looking for Petrozzino after the bodies of 64-year-old Nancy Petrozzino and 63-year-old Michael Petrozzino were found fatally shot inside their Heming Way home in the Andover Cay subdivision a week ago.
Authorities found the bodies after being asked to do a well-being check after Nancy Petrozzino didn't show up for work at a local school.
Audio: Friend calls 911 for well-being check at Petrozzino home
Photos: Petrozzino family, crime scene
Channel 9 obtained the 911 call made by the principal of the school, who said, "I have a teacher who has not reported to work and has not responded to any messages or calls."
Investigators said Petrozzino's disability made it tough to identify him. Orange County investigators had to travel to Memphis to identify Petrozzino's body using fingerprint identification.
Neighbors who lived next to the couple asked Channel 9 how the suspect could have fired the weapon since he was a quadruple amputee. Investigators said they are not discussing those details.
WFTV
