Man Kills Sleeping Girlfriend Who Wanted To Leave Him, Shoots Himself To Death

A 46-year-old Florida man allegedly shot his girlfriend to death while she was asleep before turning the gun on himself in what officials are calling a murder-suicide incident.

The incident came to light after a family member found the lifeless bodies inside the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park in Largo and alerted authorities.

Officers with the Largo Police Department arrived at the scene at around 3:18 p.m. Monday after receiving the report about two dead people at the residence, according to WFLA News Channel 8. They identified the bodies as Ricardo Ortiz Gomez and his 30-year-old girlfriend Sharry Colon.

Investigators learned that Gomez shot his girlfriend as she was sleeping in bed in the early morning hours of Monday. Gomez then turned the gun on himself and died by suicide, police said, as per the outlet.

The couple was said to have had a "tumultuous relationship" with each other before the incident. Friends and family reportedly told investigators that Colon wanted to leave Gomez.

The investigation into the deaths is ongoing.

Meanwhile, residents in the area were shocked to hear about the incident, especially since it took place during the holiday season.

One neighbor, Gary Row, said he and the community were feeling the impact of the news. He also described as the incident as something that made him want to embrace his child a little tighter that night.

"You've got to appreciate your loved ones while you have them here. Anybody that's having a family dispute — get over it, give them a big hug and tell them you love them. You never know," he told ABC Action News.

In an unrelated incident, a man shot his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at the couple's Georgia home. The two victims, identified as Heather Quiggle and her boyfriend Jerrold Knight, were found with gunshot wounds at the scene after the suspect, Abdul Batin Azzaam Rashid, 46, fled. Quiggle's 20-year-old son, who was also at the residence during the incident, managed to escape through a window and rush to a neighbor's house for help. The two victims were taken to the hospital and were reportedly stable.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.