North Carolina Murder-Suicide: Soldier Kills Pregnant Wife, Himself In Front Of Toddler Daughter

In an apparent case of murder-suicide, a soldier fatally shot his pregnant wife before killing himself at their home in North Carolina.

Police responded to the home in Fayetteville around 7 p.m. on Sunday after receiving information of gunshots being fired. The officers found 31-year-old Sgt. Keith Lewis and his wife, 34-year-old Sarah Lewis, lying in a pool of blood.

While the husband was pronounced dead at the scene, the wife was rushed to a local hospital where she succumbed to injuries. Her unborn baby too did not survive.

Police said preliminary investigation revealed Keith shot his wife following an altercation before turning the gun on himself. Investigators also said the couple’s toddler daughter was present in the room when the incident took place. The girl, who was not injured in the shooting, was now in the care of other family members, Army Times reported.

Sarah’s relatives told local media the victim was due to deliver her baby on Christmas day.

"It's a complete shock. It's like a horror movie. She had a smile that would light up the room, I can't explain it. She was vivacious and fun and lighthearted and easygoing and really head and heart to be of service," Sarah’s aunt Tammy De Mirza told NBC-affiliated television station WRAL.

She added that Keith, who was assigned to Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, had PTSD and that a similar incident had happened in 2018.

"This guy had PTSD. This happened two-and-a-half years ago, -- the exact same scenario. From what I understand, he drank, and when he drank, he lost it. She's on the floor in the den and she knew he was going for his gun in the bedroom and she did the exact same thing that happened this time...she ran out the front door," De Mirza told the channel.

"That time she was fortunate enough to get away, to go somewhere and call the police and get some help. By the time the police came, Keith is sitting in the backyard with a rifle in his mouth ready to commit suicide," she added.

However, it wasn’t clear what triggered his PTSD.