Detectives are currently investigating a Florida home after a man woke up in the middle of the night and accidentally shot and killed his pregnant wife he believed to be an intruder.
“About 1 a.m., we received a call here into out 911 communications center, where a male caller very frantically said on the phone he had accidentally shot his wife,” said William Snyder, the Martin County Sheriff.
Detectives responded to a home in the Rocky Point area, where they discovered a woman in critical condition from a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital, where she later was pronounced dead.
“He gave us a pretty in depth statement, in which he said that he awoke in the middle of the night, thought he heard somebody in the house, went to investigate with a handgun, saw a shape in the hallway and fired one round and unfortunately, it turned out to be his wife,” Snyder said.
The wife was just six months pregnant and unfortunately, doctors were able to save the unborn baby. A two-year-old child was present in the home and was thankfully, unharmed.
The sheriff revealed how there is zero indication that this is more than a tragic accident, as allegedly, the couple had a good relationship, and there has never been a call to the house for domestic violence or other problems.
RELATED:Dad Charged After 13-Year-Old Son Accidentally Shoots 9-Year-Old Brother To Death
“This is a nightmare case,” said Snyder. “You know somebody who thinks he’s defending his home, actually shoots his wife.”
But they are treating the case, like all gunshot deaths, as a suspicious death.
“So, though we do have a good statement from him, we don’t take anything to face value and we’ll continue investigating through all backgrounds; there’s a lot of investigative steps that we’ll have to make sure that he’s telling the truth,” said Snyder.
Detectives further investigated the crime scene to conduct additional forensic tests, including looking at how dark it was it the hallway where the wife was shot.
RELATED: 3-Year-Old Fatally Shoots Himself With Gun In Unlocked Drawer
The sheriff went on to warn that when you do keep guns in your home, you not only have to be careful but also, cautious and aware.
“When you have a home where you have family members, you have to be even more careful and wait that extra second and do everything you can to make sure you know what you’re dealing with when you’re about to use deadly force,” Snyder said.
Detectives are awaiting autopsy results.
The names of the couple have not been released, due to Marsy’s law; a law which is designed to protect victims of crime.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.