THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 12, 1994 TAG: 9407120337
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
An armed man, apparently distraught because of his failing marriage, waited in ambush for his 43-year-old estranged wife and wounded her as she left work in her car Monday, police said.
The gunman then put the large-caliber rifle to his head and killed himself. The woman was badly hurt, but survived.
Police spokesman Lou Thurston said the names of the man and woman were being withheld until their families were notified.
The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of Millers Lane, off Birdneck Road. Witnesses told police a man suddenly emerged from the thickly wooded area that flanks the lane as his wife drove away from her office. He fired into the driver's-side window with a bolt-action rifle, shattering the glass, Thurston said. The bullet struck the woman in the face.
Residents near the scene said they heard two loud noises about the time of the shooting. Rescue workers took the woman to the Trauma Center at Virginia Beach General Hospital. She was suffering from ``substantial facial trauma,'' Thurston said. The injuries do not appear life-threatening, he said.
After the shooting, the woman's dark blue sedan traveled about 50 feet and stopped in the middle of the road. The gunman apparently was standing near the curb when he shot himself and fell back into a patch of thick weeds lining the road. Police recovered the weapon, which they said may be a .30-caliber rifle.
Police said they believe the attack was intended to be a murder-suicide. ILLUSTRATION: Map
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT SHOOTING SUICIDE by CNB