‘A nightmare case.’ Florida man thought he shot an intruder, but it was his pregnant wife, sheriff says
A Martin County man thought he heard someone outside his bedroom door in the middle of the night Wednesday. Thinking it was an intruder, the man shot at them. But it wasn’t an intruder. It was his pregnant wife, reports say.
Around 1:30 a.m., the husband heard a noise outside his bedroom door in Stuart, Florida, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said during a news conference.
He didn’t realize his wife wasn’t in the room when he went to investigate with a handgun and then saw a shape in the hallway, which he shot at once. Upon realizing it was his wife he called 911 and told dispatchers he shot her, The Associated Press reported.
She was taken to a hospital, where she later died. The husband and wife have not been identified by deputies.
WPBF News reported the woman was six months pregnant and doctors were able to save the baby. A 2-year-old was also in the home but wasn’t hurt.
“This is a nightmare case,” Snyder told reporters. “You know somebody who thinks he’s defending his home, actually shoots his wife.”
Detectives are awaiting on autopsy results but are still investigating what exactly happened, which includes forensic tests and seeing how dark it was in the hallway, WPBF reported.
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 6:04 PM.
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