6-Year-Old Witnesses Parents’ Murder-Suicide; Dad Shoots Mom Then Himself

A 6-year-old boy in Aurora, Colorado, witnessed his father fatally shoot his mother and then turn the gun on himself to take his own life, police say.

Members of the Aurora Police Department were responding to a report of a shooting in the 18500 block of East Kansas Place Friday afternoon when they found 40-year-old Sarah Terry Smith with gunshot wounds, Fox 31 reported.

Smith was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Police also found Smith's 49-year-old partner, Robert Terry, dead at the scene from "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," a report by People said.

The couple's 6-year-old child witnessed the shooting from the backseat of a car, according to the outlet.

Smith and Terry — who had been married and divorced twice and had gotten back together again — had an argument prior to the killings, her brother, Alan Smith, told Fox 31. The mother allegedly attempted to leave after strapping their son into his car seat.

"I guess she was trying to flee. Robert came out and discharged his firearm 17 times at her, striking her in the head twice. He turned the gun on himself and took his own life. Right in front of Andrew," Alan was quoted as saying by the outlet.

"Andrew got out of the back seat and had to walk across the street to notify somebody about what happened," the brother explained.

Alan told Fox 31 he never imagined Terry would be capable of killing his sister.

"It's absolutely devastating. I cannot believe he could bring himself to do this," Alan said.

Smith was reportedly a police officer in St. Augustine, Florida, before she moved to Colorado, where she worked as a welfare fraud investigator for Arapahoe County Human Services.

"Sarah was a beloved and respected colleague to everyone she encountered, and all of us in the County extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends," Arapahoe County said in a statement released following the incident, as per Fox 31.

Alan said his mission now is to ensure his nephew recovers from the trauma he has experienced.

"If you guys know of anybody that is going through a situation of domestic violence or you are yourself, please, please, go to a domestic violence shelter and ask for help. Because it can turn tragic in the blink of an eye," Alan was quoted as saying by Fox 31.