Police say they arrested an elderly woman after she killed her terminally ill husband at a hospital in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Saturday, as part of a settlement the couple made done many weeks before.
She could be charged with first degree murder.
“Obviously, because he’s terminally ill they talked about it and they actually planned this about three weeks ago, if he keeps getting worse,” Sheriff said. Daytona Beach Jakari Young said in a press conference. . “He wants her to end this.”
Authorities received an alert about a shooting on the 11th floor of the AdventHealth Daytona Beach hospital around 11:45 a.m. Saturday. After the 76-year-old woman shot her 77-year-old husband in the head, police said, hostage negotiators spoke to the woman. They talked to her until 3 p.m., when they were able to arrest her after using a rapid-fire grenade to distract her.
Authorities said they were unsure how the woman was able to bring the gun into the hospital. The sheriff said she did not threaten hospital staff or other patients.
During the negotiations, authorities learned that the original plan would involve the husband shooting both himself and his wife, who Young described as “in a depressed state.” However, the wife took over after they realized he was too weak to do it on his own.
“Initially, I thought the plan was a murder and suicide,” Young said. “So she killed him, and she was about to turn the gun on herself, but she couldn’t do it.”
Authorities have partially evacuated other patients on the 11th floor, which is usually reserved for terminally ill cases. The woman will be transferred to the Volusia County Jail, in Daytona Beach.
Young told reporters that incidents like this are unfortunately common, especially during the holiday season.
“It was a tragic situation,” Young said. “It just goes to show that none of us are immune to life’s trials and tribulations.”
