Evening star., 1949-12-07
Ideal Father
Goes Bersefk,
Kills Children
ReIouds Gun After
Each Shot; Planned to
SIoy Wife, Self Also

A Fort Belvoir construction en-
gineer characterized as an Ideal
father killed his three children in
their Alexandria home today with
a 20-gauge shotgun he reloaded
after each shot.
Then the father, John S. Con-
ner, 38, quietly surrendered to
police who said the man revealed
he had planned also to kill his
wife Janet and himself. but that
she talked him out of shooting
her and he lost the nerve needed
to kill himself.
Il didn't want the children to
grow up like I am" Police Supt.
Edgar Sims said Conner told him.
The tragedy occurred about
7:55 am. in the kitchen of the
Conners' apartment at 1913 Bel
voir street, in the Cameron VAL
ley development, where the family
had lived five years.
Oldest Daughter Killed First.
Police said Conner apparently
took deliberate aim, sending one
charge of the gun crashing into
the head of each of the children.
and that he killed them in this
order:
His eldest daughter Stephanie.
II: his son Michael. 8, and finally
5-year-old Cecilia.
In the midst Of the shooting
Mrs. Conner ran screarning from
the apartment to the home Of
Mrs. Philip Milton, close friend.
two doors away. Mr.. Mittop
opened the door and Mrs. Conner
moaned:
Philip. something terrible has
happened. John has shot the
children. They are dead. !
know It,"
Neighb0rs Are Stunned.
AS shocked neighbors gathered
in little clusters. stunned by the
tragedy, Mrs. Pauline Allen, who
lives next door to the Conners,
told how she was outside when
she heard two shots.
II heard the little girl scream.
Daddy. don't do it," Mrs. Allen
said. Then there was a third
shot and Mrs. Conner ran out OF
the kitchen in her pajamas and
over to the Mittons."
No one could account for the
force that drove Conner to the
deed.
"A wonderful person Ia most
devoted father adorable chill
dren .an ideal family" were
some of the phrases neighbors
used. All said Conner had been
working too hard.
They told how he was attending
night school at Fort Belvoir three
nights week in working for
masters degree in engineering.
Was Laboratory Branch Chief.
Conner is chief of the prefabri-
Gated structure branch of the
Engineering, Research and Devel-
opment Laboratory, civilian po-
sition at Fort Belvoir at a salary
of $1,000 a year.
Fort Belvoir records show Con-
ner was graduated with the 1888
class of the United States Military
Academy, being honorably dis
charged with physical disability.
He received bachelor of science
degree.
Not so long ago he was an Of
ficer in the Cameron Valley Com
munity Council, which had been
instrumental in establishing q
playground near the Conner home.
In reconstructing the shooting.
Coroner John Sims said each child
was killed instantly with one shot
in the head.
At first quiet and uncom-
municative Conner later told
police how he had planned to wipe
out the entire family. Maj. Sims
said Conner told this story:
Z "He had been thinking of shoot
ing them all for about week.
This morning he suddenly acted.
shooting the children in the
kitchen. and then going to the
bedroom where his wife was in
bed.
Mrs. Conner pleaded with her
(See SHOOTING, Page A-3D