2 shot in Boca Raton bank building

Domestic dispute leads to murder-suicide, police say

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Police believe an ongoing dispute between a married couple led to a murder-suicide inside the Comerica Bank building in Boca Raton Wednesday morning.

The shooting happened at 1675 N. Military Trail. Police were called there about 9:22 a.m.

"They (the police) had automatic rifles out," said Frank Marino, who owns a spa on the seventh floor of the building. "It was just chaos with the police but there was nobody, nobody running around. No civilians running around. It was just shut down."

"The people in my office heard the gunshots," said Barbara Smith, whose son works in the building. "They went under their desks."

When police arrived two minutes later at CBIZ MHM Financial Services, an accounting firm, officers found the bodies of 63-year-old Scott Edgerton and 56-year-old Sharon Bellingham, said Boca Raton Police Chief Dan Alexander.

"When we got the call shots fired, obviously we go into active shooter mode," said Alexander. "What we do is form up as a team and we make entry into the building. As I mentioned before, our overall response time was just within a couple of minutes, about a two minute response time overall. Our units formed up, as they've been trained, and made entry into the building and then went through and secured every portion of the building to include the parking area."

Alexander said investigators believe Edgerton shot and killed Bellingham, who worked at the firm, before killing himself.

"I am so upset right now I don't know why this happened," said Jack Gluss.

Gluss said Bellingham's son is in college in Tallahassee and her daughter teaches in Boca Raton.

Police towed the couple's cars from their home in west Boca Raton Wednesday afternoon.

"It's terrible," said neighbor Gabriela Dunn. "I got here and saw the crime scene van and I am like, 'Oh my God, what happened?' Then I heard the news and I am like what?"

Another neighbor said Edgerton retired three months ago from a management position at the Faulk Center for Counseling, an outreach program for the disabled and elderly.

Alexander added the two were involved in an ongoing dispute. The two were married.