Man, 88, Shoots Himself After Killing Wife, Police Say

An 88-year-old man fatally shot his ailing wife in her hospital bed here on Friday and then shot himself in the head, the authorities said.

Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said the man was in critical condition. Shortly after the shooting, he was flown to the trauma center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Chief Mastronardy would not release the names of the man or his 87-year-old wife, pending notification of relatives.

It was not immediately clear what the woman was being treated for at the hospital, Community Medical Center. Chief Mastronardy said the couple lived in Holiday City, a retirement community in nearby Berkeley Township.

The woman was shot in her room on the second floor about 12:20 p.m., the authorities said. A patient who shared the room was not harmed and was being questioned by detectives on Friday afternoon.

Chief Mastronardy would not say whether it appeared to be a mercy killing. He said the man was standing by his wife’s bedside when he fired.

Employees locked up the hospital for 10 minutes until the police were able to determine that no one else was in danger. The hospital is just west of the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County.