Domestic Trouble Reported a Month Before Fatal St. Charles Shooting: Police

ST. CHARLES, IL — Authorities were called to a domestic incident between a St. Charles couple just a month before the husband and his teenage daughters were found shot dead Friday in a luxury condominium complex. Meanwhile, the mother, Anjum S. Coffland, 46, is recovering at Delnor Hospital in Geneva following the Friday night “domestic-related” shooting.

Twin sisters Brittany and Tiffany Coffland, both 16 years, and their father, 48-year-old Randall R. Coffland, were pronounced dead after police responded to a shooting in their St. Charles condominium in the 400 block of 1st Street just after 5 p.m. Friday.

Anjum and Randall Coffland were married but living at separate addresses, according to police, who said records show that officers responded to a report of "domestic trouble" involving the couple Feb. 9 in the 100 block of South Fifth Avenue. "The report indicates that nothing physical happened" during the previous incident, police said.

Authorities were not saying Saturday who they believe fired the gun Friday at the family's condo.

Deputy Police Chief David Kintz said police responded to several calls reporting gunshots, as well as one 911 call from inside the the residence, at around 5:12 p.m. Friday. Officers who made entry to the apartment found the four occupants shot, police said. Kintz said no one else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting.

Kintz on Friday night said police believe the incident is "domestic related."

"We do not believe there is a threat" to the public, Kintz said during a press conference Friday night. "We believe this incident is isolated and contained."

"Obviously, this is very tough," he told reporters. "This is a very difficult scene for our first responders to work with. Our thoughts and prayers go out to family members who are left to deal with this tragic situation."

Police said investigators were working Friday night to get a search warrant to allow evidence technician can process the scene. Kintz on Friday said the St. Charles Police Department is handling the investigation but requested assistance from the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force.

After learning of the teen girls' death, grief-stricken teens held a vigil outside the condominium complex late Friday night, the Daily Herald reports. Community members placed candles, flowers and messages on a bench outside the condo complex throughout the day on Saturday.

The twin sisters attended St. Charles East High School where Brittany was a cheerleader, the Daily Herald reports. Tiffany worked at a pet store and was remembered by friends for her passion for animals.

Anjum Coffland works as a claim adjuster for MetLife in Aurora and before that was a deputy recorder in Kendall County from September 2013 to September 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile. Randy Coffland was a Network Manager, working in the IT department for Much Shelist, P.C. in Chicago since January 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile.

St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina in a statement on Saturday called the deaths "a horrific personal tragedy " for the city of St. Charles.

"Being the close-knit community we are, an incident of this nature has impact beyond the immediate family--we think about and pray for the extended family which includes relatives, high school students and other friends," Rogina said. "We also pray for the greater community, all of us, that we will stand tall and provide calm and peace at such a tragic moment."

St. Charles District 303 said a crisis team was available to community members at St. Charles East School in the wake of the tragedy.

"They were such amazing people. They had such innocent souls," St. Charles East student Tatianna Lerario told the Daily Herald. "They did not deserve anything like this to happen to them at all. You see them and they just instantly put a smile on your face. They made you feel like everything is good."