The Worcester County District Attorney’s office has released the identity of the woman behind a violent incident at a Sturbridge hotel earlier this month.
Olive Openshaw, 27, of Belchertown, has been confirmed as the person who fired shots at the Sturbridge Plaza Hotel on Haynes Street on Thursday, June 18, before driving her car into the building.
District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. announced Openshaw’s death at a news conference the same day the shooting occurred, saying she died from a gunshot wound she inflicted on herself.
Investigators have since revealed that Openshaw was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
What Investigators Believe Happened
According to police, Openshaw drove to the hotel believing two specific individuals were staying there. Early said she was not searching at random but had a destination in mind tied to those two people.
Once she arrived, she began firing her weapon outside the hotel, breaking out several windows before steering her vehicle through the front of the building and into one of the rooms.
That room turned out to be unoccupied, and none of the other rooms struck by gunfire had guests inside at the time, according to police.
Despite the destruction, the only person injured during the rampage was a hotel guest who had no apparent connection to Openshaw or her search.
Authorities say the victim, a man, was leaving the hotel lobby when he was shot in the torso. Officers later found him in front of the building and rushed him to a hospital.
As of June 24, nearly a week after the shooting, he remained hospitalized, though his current condition has not been publicly disclosed.
Early addressed the relationship, or lack thereof, between Openshaw and the man she shot. He said investigators do not believe the two knew each other, and that the man’s presence near the lobby at that moment appears to have been a matter of timing rather than any targeted intent on Openshaw’s part.
Police Response and Aftermath
Law enforcement officers responded quickly to reports of gunfire and a vehicle crashing into the hotel structure. When officers arrived, they had a brief encounter with Openshaw before she turned the gun on herself.
Details about exactly how that confrontation unfolded have not been fully released by investigators.
The discovery that Openshaw was eight months pregnant has added another layer of weight to a case that already shocked the small Massachusetts community.
Sturbridge, a town known largely for its historical tourism near the Old Sturbridge Village living history museum, rarely sees this kind of violence, and residents have expressed disbelief over the events that unfolded at the roadside hotel.
The DA’s office has not released further information about the two people Openshaw was allegedly searching for, including whether they have been identified, located, or interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
It also remains unclear what relationship, if any, existed between Openshaw and those individuals, or what may have driven her to the hotel that day.
The investigation into the shooting and crash is continuing, and officials say more details may be released as the case develops.
The surviving victim’s family and the broader Sturbridge community continue to wait for further answers about what triggered the violent episode.
