Washington Murder-Suicide: Suspect Fatally Shoots Woman Before Killing Himself, Neighbors Heard 8 Gunshots

A man and a woman were found dead in a home in Battle Ground, Washington, on Sunday afternoon in what appears to be a case of an apparent murder-suicide.

According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, deputies, on receiving calls from neighbors regarding gunshots being fired, along with the North Country Emergency Medical Services, responded to a home in the 13600 block of Northeast 319th Street of Clark County on Sunday afternoon.

According to the deputies, the neighbors informed the police that they heard around eight gunshots being fired from the property.

Upon arrival, the deputies entered the house and found a woman lying dead with multiple gunshot wounds all over her body. On conducting a further search inside the house, the deputies were able to locate a man who suffered from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The authorities, considering that an official notification to the family members of the deceased was pending, did not release the identities of the two people. The information regarding the relationship between the duo was also being withheld.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Bieber confirmed that the deaths were being investigated as a case of murder-suicide. The motive behind the shooting was unknown at the moment.

Ryan Ashcraft, a resident in the neighborhood, responding to local media said the neighbors were used to hearing gunshots in the area. He thought it was someone doing target practice.

"It’s definitely odd being out here in the country, in this secluded kinda area," said Ashcraft. " “I just kind of feel like you can escape from that kind of stuff, but at the same time it doesn’t it doesn’t matter where you are -- things can happen."

He added that he never expected what he thought as a usual and normal incident could turn out to be something shocking like this.

The sheriff's office’s Major Crimes Unit is currently investigating the case.

In a similar incident that was reported in New Jersey on March 26, a pregnant woman was killed by her husband who later killed himself by drowning in the Hudson River.

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.