The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at a home in Stuart, Sheriff William Snyder of Martin County told news outlets. The man told detectives he didn’t realize his wife was not in the room. He frantically called 911 and told dispatchers he had accidentally shot his wife, according to the sheriff.
“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 woman was pronounced dead at a hospital where she was taken. She was six months pregnant, and doctors were able to save the baby, WPBF reported.
Forensic examiners took dozens of photos and evaluated evidence at the scene all day Wednesday. They waited for the sun to go down to see for themselves just how dark it is near the bedroom where investigators say he shot and killed his pregnant wife.
“He was asleep. He thought there was an intruder in the house heard noises. He reached over to feel for his wife, and unfortunately, what he felt turned out to be his dog,” Sheriff Snyder said.
- The baby is in critical condition.
- There was a 2 year old child in the home that was not harmed.
