Man Accidentally Shot Pregnant Wife to Death After Mistaking Her for an Intruder

By Neil P. First Posted: Nov 06, 2020 02:10 PM EST

A Florida man claims that he accidentally shot his wife using a handgun after thinking she was an intruder. The victim, who was 6-month-old pregnant, did not survive her fatal injuries.

(Photo : Unsplash)

A Florida man accidentally pulled the trigger on his wife who he mistaken for an intruder. The man said that he thought an intruder invaded their home at around 1:00 a.m. after he heard a noise

In an attempt to protect his family, he immediately grabbed his gun. Sheriff William Snyder said officials were called about 1 a.m. Wednesday by a "highly agitated man" who said he accidentally shot his wife.

The investigators immediately arrived in the home and they found the woman still breathing. Unfortunately, she died when was taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, doctors were able to save the unborn child who was in critical condition.

The sheriff said, "He said that he awoke in the middle of the night, though 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."

Deadly errror

In an interview with the police, the man indicated he was sleeping and thought he heard someone coming into the home.

Snyder said, "He became alarmed for his safety, he kept a handgun close by and he reached over, he said, to pat for his wife and felt her he thought, turned out it was the dog. It was dimly lit, he saw a figure and he fired one round and then discovered he had shot his wife."

Though the investigators believed that the shooting was an accident, they are also looking into other angles or a foul play.

They were treating the killing accident as suspicious and they also continued to investigate to make sure that justice will be served for the woman.

Due to this incident, Sheriff William Snyder warned that those who own guns should be responsible, disciplined, and careful most especially if they live with their family or other people. It is also not known until now if the man has the complete documents needed to own the gun.

The sheriff told the WPBF, "You have to be even more careful, and wait for 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." He said this after the man claimed that he just thought that it was an intruder.

Similar gun-related incidents

This is not the first incident of gun-related killing. Another tragedy occurred after a Miami-Dade County mom defended her family from a home invasion.

The incident involved two gunmen who ambushed a family friend in the driveway, forced him inside at gunpoint and attempted to rob the family and friends in their living room.

Fox News reported 26-year-old Ansley Pacheco was in the other room, home security footage shows. She grabbed a handgun from the night table and chased the gunmen out.