Macomb Twp. woman killed in domestic dispute

Macomb Township – For neighbors, it didn’t make sense.

The 44-year-old man in their manicured subdivision was friendly and polite. He seemed to have a loving relationship with his wife. There were no signs of discord.

So, when the residents learned what happened inside the home on Country Ridge Lane, they were flabbergasted.

The man apparently shot his wife several times before turning the gun on himself late Friday night. The woman died while the man is hospitalized.

The shooting was captured on 911 as the woman called police for help.

“It’s like this beast that came out of nowhere,” said Benjamin Virga, who lives across the street from the couple.

While the woman spoke with a dispatcher Saturday at 1:03 a.m., gunshots could be heard over the phone, said police.

Deputies sent to the home found the 38-year-old woman dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

The sheriff’s office said deputies found a .40 caliber handgun lying on the floor near the husband. The gun is registered to the husband, the sheriff’s office said.

The woman’s 16-year-old son was in the home but was not physically hurt and turned over the family members, the sheriff’s office said.

“It’s shocking to have it here,” said neighbor Nancy Peronowski. “You hear about it at other places but don’t expect it next door.”

The sheriff’s office says there’s no record of deputies visiting the home in the past.

Police are withholding the victim’s name pending positive identification from the Macomb County Medical Examiner’s Office

The couple, who lived in a condo in the neighborhood for two years, seemed to be happy, said neighbors.

They described the woman, a nurse, as quiet and unassuming and the man, who once worked for United Parcel Service, as friendly and soft-spoken.

Virga, who occasionally talked with the man, said he loved to discuss cars, including the man’s brand new Cadillac.

The two men used to joke with each other about who kept their car the cleanest, said Virga.

Virga said gun violence was becoming so common it could happen anywhere.

He said nowadays it’s just as likely to occur in a tidy suburban neighborhood like his as in the inner city.

“It’s no longer a surprise,” he said. “Gun violence in the country is truly an epidemic.”

FDonnelly@detroitnews.com

313) 223-4186

Twitter: @francisXdonnell