COLONIE - Law enforcement sources confirmed early Wednesday that three people found dead in a house fire — a Colonie police officer, his wife and their young son — may have been killed as the result of a murder-suicide.
Investigators removed three bodies from the rubble early Wednesday that are believed to be Officer Israel J. Roman, his wife Deborah, and their son.
The fire was reported about 6 p.m. Tuesday as smoke could be seen rising above the neighborhood between Route 7 and the Mohawk River, just west of the Northway.
State Police and state fire investigators are trying to determine whether the blaze at 35 Schalren Drive was deliberately set. Colonie police are also involved in the investigation.
The victims were discovered after firefighters battled the flames, an effort that was hampered by exploding ammunition.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, but not authorized to comment publicly, said late Tuesday investigators were examining whether one of the deaths may have been the result of a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound or whether someone else was responsible.
Public records indicate the single-family residence off Forts Ferry Road was purchased in 2013 by Roman and his wife, Deborah.
The couple's older son, 15, was at a high school basketball game when the blaze broke out.
Roman was employed by the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office before joining the Colonie police force more than 10 years ago.
Late Tuesday, a large truck in front of the house lit the scene with multiple flood lights. The area was set off by yellow tape. The blackened top part of the Colonial-style house was extensively damaged. Neighbors gathered, but the crowd was kept far away from the home.
Schalren Drive remained closed near the home Wednesday morning.
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