Sheriff: Man thinks he hears intruder, shoots pregnant wife

STUART, Fla. — A Florida man who thought he heard an intruder outside his bedroom door instead fatally shot his pregnant wife, authorities said.

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.

Deputies said a 2-year-old child in the home when the shooting happened was not injured. The sheriff’s office cited the state’s Marsy’s Law in not releasing the names of the woman or her husband. The law, approved by voters, was designed to protect victims of crime.

“This is a nightmare case,” Snyder said. “You know somebody who thinks he’s defending his home, actually shoots his wife.”

The sheriff said an investigation is ongoing.

Associated Press, The Associated Press