6:32 a.m. November 19, 2005
PERRIS – An 84-year-old man who committed suicide with a handgun outside his Riverside County home also killed his 71-year-old wife when she was struck by the same gunshot, authorities said.
The man shot himself in the head Thursday morning after arguing with his wife over finances, according to sheriff's Sgt. John Schultz.
The shot passed through the man and hit his wife in the forehead as she stood about 10 feet away outside their home in Sun City, located near Perris about 65 miles east of Los Angeles.
"I've never seen anything like that before in over 20 years," said Schultz, who has worked on homicide cases for 11 years.
He said the couple, whose identities were withheld until relatives were notified, had been fighting over money for several days.
Just before shooting himself the man warned the woman, "I'm not afraid to die today," witnesses told investigators.
Michael Stout, a real estate broker who sold the couple the home, said he never sensed any animosity between them. He was headed to their house to exchange some papers at the time of deaths.
"I was absolutely shocked when I saw her laying out in the street, " he said.
Information from: The Press-Enterprise, www.pe.com
PERRIS – An 84-year-old man who committed suicide with a handgun outside his Riverside County home also killed his 71-year-old wife when she was struck by the same gunshot, authorities said.
The man shot himself in the head Thursday morning after arguing with his wife over finances, according to sheriff's Sgt. John Schultz.
The shot passed through the man and hit his wife in the forehead as she stood about 10 feet away outside their home in Sun City, located near Perris about 65 miles east of Los Angeles.
"I've never seen anything like that before in over 20 years," said Schultz, who has worked on homicide cases for 11 years.
He said the couple, whose identities were withheld until relatives were notified, had been fighting over money for several days.
Just before shooting himself the man warned the woman, "I'm not afraid to die today," witnesses told investigators.
Michael Stout, a real estate broker who sold the couple the home, said he never sensed any animosity between them. He was headed to their house to exchange some papers at the time of deaths.
"I was absolutely shocked when I saw her laying out in the street, " he said.
Information from: The Press-Enterprise, www.pe.com
