A Burbank elementary school teacher was killed by her son, police said

A longtime Burbank elementary school teacher was killed by her adult son after a fight, police said.

Police officers and paramedics found 57-year-old Karyn Lombardo unconscious in her home in the 800 block of North Avon Street around 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Burbank Police Department said in a statement.

Lombardo, a teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her son, Kyle Lombardo, 25, was arrested and charged with murder based on evidence at the home that he “caused her death during an altercation at the family home,” where he also lived, police said. They did not provide any further information.

Lombardo is being held in Burbank City Jail in lieu of $2 million bail, Los Angeles County inmate records show.

Vince Lombardo, Karyn’s husband, told KTLA that her son suffers from mental illness and that police have been called to their home before.

“She loved him more than anything and tried to help him,” Vince said. “All of her students love her. As we came through the system here, there were students who became teachers because of her.”

Lombardo taught at Bret Harte Elementary for 30 years in a variety of roles, including kindergarten, intervention and performing arts choir teacher, John Paramo, superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District, said in a statement.

“Throughout her highly successful career, Ms. Lombardo touched the lives of thousands of students, parents and colleagues who will mourn this loss in the days to come,” Paramo wrote. “Her dedication, warmth and passion for teaching have touched the lives of many students and colleagues.”

Paramo said Lombardo began her career with Burbank Unified in 1990 as a bilingual teacher at Joaquin Miller Elementary School. Three years later, she transferred to Bret Harte Elementary.

School psychologists and social workers will be on site at Bret Hart Elementary in the coming days to support students and staff, Paramo said.