Kentucky Murder-Suicide: Man Kills Partner Before Shooting Self, Couple's 7-Year-Old Child Unharmed

In a case of murder-suicide, a man fatally shot his partner before turning the gun on himself in Franklin County, Kentucky.

The two persons who died in the incident were identified as 39-year-old Carmelita Lashaun Wright and 43-year-old Lorenzo Andrew Simpson.

Sheriff's deputies in Franklin County said they were called to a home on Tamworth Lane on Tuesday. Upon arrival, they discovered the bodies. The couple's child was in the house when the shooting incident took place, the State Journal reported.

Simpson shot Wright multiple times before taking his own life, the coroner's autopsy report said.

"She's the true victim," Sheriff Chris Quire said of the girl. "This is something she's going to have to live with for the rest of her life, and it's unfortunate," he added. Quire said the two victims were not married but were living together.

"We want to know, and do believe there was some alcohol involved, at least in the male subject. That can be one of the leading factors, but we still want to put the puzzle together to see why," the sheriff said.

During a search, detectives found a .40 caliber handgun in the house. Police were called to the house on two previous occasions to resolve domestic disputes, but there was nothing violent then, Quire told local media outlets.

"We ran our numbers a month or so ago, and our domestics, and disturbances and family disputes are up due to the fact that a lot of folks are home, and their kids are there," he said.

An investigation is underway into the murder-suicide, Quire said, adding that the couple's child will be placed in the custody of protective services until family members decide who will care of her.