Michigan high school bowling coach fatally shot teen grad inside her home before killing himself in murder-suicide: police

A Michigan high school bowling coach fatally murdered one of his former bowlers, who had recently graduated, inside her home before turning the gun on himself in a horrific murder-suicide last week.Former Bedford High School’s bowling club coach Ryne Leist fatally shot 17-year-old Gwendolyn Smith multiple times at her stepfather’s Bedford Township home on June 14, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office announced.Smith’s stepfather returned home at around 6 p.m.to discover the mortally wounded teen and her alleged killer, Sheriff Troy Goodnough said during a press conference Wednesday.Bedford Public School Superintendent Carl Shultz mourned Smith as an “extraordinary young woman” as he shared the devastating news with the school district.“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic and heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our own—Gwendolyn Smith, a 2025 graduate of Bedford School,” Shultz wrote in a Facebook post.

“Gwen was an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community.”Leist had gained entry into the home, but officials did not reveal if he had broken into the house or if he was let in.“At this time, the point of entry and access remains under investigation,” Goodnough saidSmith’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner’s office, and Leist died of suicide.Goodnough didn’t specify the relationship between Smith and her former coach.“Gwendolyn did not consider the relation between the two of them to be romantic,” Goodnough told reporters.Leist worked alongside the public school’s bowling club, gaining the gig through the local bowling alley and was not an employee of the school district, officials said.He had recently resigned from his position at the bowling alley.Leist had passed the required background checks for youth coaches in Michigan, Shultz told WTOL.Smith’s stepparents paid tribute to the teen.“We aren’t supposed to outlive our children.Everyone loved G...