Woods In Critical Condition At Sunrise Hospital
POSTED: 3:43 pm PDT September 24, 2009
UPDATED: 4:29 pm PDT September 24, 2009
LAS VEGAS -- There has been yet another murder-attempted suicide in the Las Vegas Valley.
This time, the victim was an elderly woman, and police said the shooter was her own husband. Police have identified him as Joseph Woods, 86.
Neighbors on South 10th Street said they were shocked because they said they were a sweet couple.
“A family member had entered and discovered their elderly parents in bed," said Metro homicide Sgt. Russ Shoemaker.
Police said Woods shot his 80-year-old wife and then tried to kill himself.
“The mother appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to her torso and was deceased when paramedics arrived, and the father had sustained a gunshot wound as well," Shoemaker said.
Police said the shootings occurred sometime between Wednesday evening and just before 7 a.m. Thursday in the 1800 block of South 10th Street. Police said they arrived to find the couple in the bed bleeding -- with a gun nearby.
An arrest report said the couple was found by family members who had come to the residence to care for them. The woman had a gunshot wound to her back, and Woods had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his torso.
Woods was still breathing when paramedics arrived. Police said he is being treated at Sunrise Hospital and was in critical condition on Thursday afternoon.
“His prognosis is unknown. We don't know if he's going to survive or not," Shoemaker said.
Woods was arrested and booked in absentia at the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon, the report said.
Neighbors said the couple was Joe and Kay Woods. They said she was quiet, yet friendly, and he was jovial guy and did not seem violent.
“That's not him. From what I know, that's not him, so something happened. I have no idea," said neighbor Jeffery Felton.
Felton said the incident is now making him wonder about everyone -- especially his own neighbors.
“You don’t really know. Things happen. You don’t really know your friends,” Felton said.
This was the fifth murder-suicide or attempted murder-suicide just this month, and they have all involved couples. Police said the couple's son lived with them, but it's not clear whether he was home during the shooting.
Police said they are withholding the identity of the victim pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or Metro’s Homicide Section at 702-828-3521.
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