Police are investigating a possible murder-suicide after a man and woman were found fatally shot inside a Westwood home early Friday, sending shock waves through the well-to-do neighborhood.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to reported gunshots at a residence on the 1300 block of Holmby Avenue at around 5:45 a.m., according to a department spokesperson. Inside, a man and woman believed to be in their mid-40s were found dead from gunshot wounds.
Preliminary evidence suggests the man shot the woman before turning the gun on himself, the spokesperson said. Their identities have not yet been released by authorities.
A neighbor told KTLA-TV that they were a couple, that the wife was eight-and-a-half months pregnant and that they had just hosted a baby shower at their home on July 4.
“They seemed like a pretty happy couple, talking, walking hand in hand,” Rich Schultz told the station.
Schultz said nothing seemed amiss with their relationship and described the incident as “one of those crazy things that who knows what was going on underneath.”
The grisly incident is the latest in a string of suspected murder-suicides reported among families in the Los Angeles area.
Last month, a man is believed to have fatally shot his 10-year-old twin sons before turning the gun on himself in Canoga Park.
In May, police found a husband, wife, 6-day-old infant and 2-year-old child shot to death in a North Hills home. In that case, authorities believe the mother was responsible for slaying the family and then killing herself.
In April, a well-known nonprofit executive in Santa Monica is believed to have shot his wife and then himself in their Venice house.
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional or call 988. The nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
