Who were Irving Lollar and Crystal Cooper? Couple found shot dead in their apartment in suspected murder-suicide

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT: Hartford Police have identified a couple who were found dead in their shared apartment on July 24 in a suspected murder-suicide. The man, Irving Lollar, 35, and the woman, Crystal Cooper, 24, were in a romantic relationship, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE from Hartford Police Lt Aaron Boisvert. Cooper's death is Hartford's 21st homicide of the year.

When Cooper's family went to the apartment to check on him because he hadn't returned their calls or gone to work on Monday, they called 911 and reported two dead gunshot victims inside the building. The bodies of Cooper and Lollar were discovered by Cooper's family, according to the police, and both were declared dead at the scene.

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Cooper's sister Breanna Diaz wrote on a GoFundMe

Cooper's sister Breanna Diaz wrote on a GoFundMe page organized to cover the costs of Cooper's funeral. The page reads, "No words will ever be able to describe the pain a mother/family feels after finding their loved one lifeless," Cooper's sister Breanna Diaz wrote on a GoFundMe page organized to cover the costs of Cooper's funeral. "Her life was taken too soon in her own home; a place where she should've been safe and comfortable."

Cooper worked as a caregiver at Horizon Dental, where Diaz described her as "very hardworking." She added, "Crystal was so full of life," Diaz continued. "She made a memorable impression on everyone she met. She just moved out of our mother's home less than a month ago and was so excited to start a new chapter of her life."

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Parents, seven sisters, three brothers, and four nieces and nephews of Cooper are still alive, and according to Diaz, they are "all heartbroken by this senseless passing." The Hartford Courant was informed by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence that Cooper's murder "sadly marks the ninth intimate partner homicide in Connecticut this year and the third just this month."

'Domestic violence is a public health crisis impacting us..'

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The coalition's president and CEO, Meghan Scanlon, made these comments in a statement to the Courant on Tuesday. “Domestic violence is a public health crisis impacting us all and we all have a role to play in creating a world where no person lives in fear."

When speaking with NBC Connecticut, Lt. Boisvert also discussed the startling number of domestic violence cases that have progressed to gun violence. “Just like last year, a lot of the homicides we’re seeing are personal disputes. They’re disagreements that at one time may have been a fight or altercation, that now is going right to gunfire violence,” Boisvert said. “We saw it last year, we’re seeing it again this year, unfortunately,” as reported by People.

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