Bride Celebrating Wedding Shoots And Kills Niece After Ceremony, Police Say

A brand new bride who got married earlier in the day Thursday shot her niece dead at a post-wedding celebration later than evening, police say. While investigators in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, are still attempting to sort out what happened and why, they believe the new bride and her niece were arguing over who was going to drive home, because the groom was too drunk to get behind the wheel.

Christina George, 30, of Conway, Pennsylvania was married on Thursday to Jeremy Harvan. The newlyweds were celebrating with a group of family and friends at Jimmy K’s Bar and Grille, at 911 Eleventh Avenue in New Brighton, when George began arguing with her 21-year-old niece, Katelyn “Kaytee” Francis.

At some point in the course of the argument, the bride went to her husband’s truck and retrieved a 9mm Glock pistol from inside the vehicle, according to what Harvan, her new husband, told police.

George then shot her niece in the stomach.

Police showed up in Jimmy K’s parking lot at 9:52 pm. They found Kaytee Francis, of Fairmont, West Virginia, collapsed on the pavement from her wound. The young single mom was flown to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, but she died there early Friday morning.

Francis was the mother of one child, son named Kody, who a friend described as “her Number One thing in life.”

“He was her whole world. She always talked about him,” said Deanne Chenoweth, who used to work with Francis, who until recently was employed as a supermarket cashier in Fairmont.

Another patron at the bar described the argument, but said he wasn’t sure what had happened until police showed up.

“I know there was some controversy going on inside the bar and people were starting to get a little loud. But that’s as much as I could say,” said Jamie Botinovech. “Next thing I know, half the bar left and went outside, and we thought everyone was going out for a smoke break and then everyone came in and they were a little stressed and next thing I see is police lights.”

“When they decided to leave, there was a dispute over who would be the designated driver,” said the New Brighton Police Chief Charles Vanfossan. “It’s a shame it happened, but I believe alcohol was a major factor in this.”

George told police “she touched the weapon and it discharged,” the police chief said. The gun, they said, belonged to Harvan.

The bride is being held without bail and faces criminal homicide and assault charges.