A verdict of unlawful killing has been returned on a mother and her two-year-old daughter gunned down in America at an inquest in Bradford today.

Melanie Edwards, 33, and Carli Fay, two, were shot as they sat in a car by her estranged husband Carlton Lee near a drop-off point in Seattle.

He later shot himself on San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge when approached by detectives.

Melanie's mother Jacqui Melvin, of Cottingley, welcomed the verdict. She said: "I'm glad it's all over. We can get on with our lives and get things into perspective though we still have her estate to sort out.

"He murdered my daughter and granddaughter but I don't have any feelings towards him. What does anyone feel when someone has murdered their family? I don't think what he has done has sunk in."

The Bradford hearing, conducted by Coroner Roger Whittaker, heard that Carlton phoned a friend, David Garin, the day after the killing in December. He told him he had made a major mistake and said: "I got 'em, I did 'em both."

Autopsies revealed Melanie had been killed by four gunshot wounds to the head and chest and Carli by a single gunshot to the chest.

The court heard Melanie had been afraid of her husband, who had a history of violence towards her.

A woman who heard the shooting, Evelyn Graf, gave evidence to Seattle detectives. She said she had heard a woman scream for help and saw a figure in white struggle near the driver's door. She heard three gunshots in rapid succession and ran into her house and lay on the floor.

Her husband Mark saw a small, silver vehicle moving away containing a single black male in his late 20s to early 30s with short hair, which fitted the description of Carlton.

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