South Florida Man Shoots Pregnant Wife Thinking She Was An Intruder

A man thought he heard an intruder outside his bedroom door in his South Florida home. He ended up shooting his pregnant wife by accident, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Martin County deputies said the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday (November 4) in Stuart, Florida.

“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,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said.

The man told authorities he didn't realize his wife wasn't in the room. The husband frantically called 911, telling dispatchers he accidentally shot his wife. The woman was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead there. She was six months pregnant, and doctors were able to save the baby, according to AP. Deputies added that a 2-year-old child was in the home at the time.

“This is a nightmare case,” Snyder said. “You know somebody who thinks he’s defending his home, actually shoots his wife.” An investigation is ongoing. The Martin County sheriff said they don't take anything at face value despite the man having a "good statement."

"We’ll continue investigating through all backgrounds; there’s a lot of investigative steps that we’ll have to make sure that he’s telling the truth," Snyder said.

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