By Minyvonne Burke - NBC News
A man in Florida said he fatally shot his pregnant wife after waking up in the middle of the night and thinking it was an intruder who had broken into their home, according to
authorities who believe it was nothing more than a tragic mistake
.
Officers were called to the home in Stuart, about 40 miles northwest of Palm Beach, around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Martin County Sheriff's Office obtained by NBC News. sister of Telemundo.
When officers arrived, the man was standing outside the house with the couple's other son, yelling for help.
He told police that
he had shot his wife by accident and that his "life ended,"
according to the report.
["My life changed in a second." A pregnant Latina was hit by a car in California. But the doctors achieved a 'miracle']
The wife was found inside the house with a gunshot wound to the head.
A pistol with a lighted light was found next to her and another pistol was located on a dresser in the couple's bedroom, according to the same report.
They broadcast video of Renato Ibarra's assault on his pregnant wife.
"He pulled me up and pushed me against the wall"
March 12, 2020
The wife was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The sheriff's office told local station WPBF in Tequesta that the wife was six months pregnant and doctors were able to save the baby.
Sheriff William Snyder told the outlet that the husband said he woke up in the middle of the night,
thought he heard an intruder in the house and grabbed his firearm
.
The man, who said he did not realize his wife had gotten up, saw a silhouette in the hallway and fired a single shot, the sheriff said.
"Unfortunately, it turned out to be his wife," said Snyder, who explained that there is no indication that the shooting was more than a simple mistake, but
it is still treated as a suspicious death
.
"Although we have a good statement from him, we do not take anything at face value and we will continue to investigate, we will investigate all his criminal records. There are many investigative steps that we will take to make sure that he is telling the truth," he assured that medium.
The couple's names have not been released due to Marsy's Law, which protects the identities of crime victims, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office said.
[Monica, 22, pregnant, died because she was opened to steal her baby. And it could be a band]
Snyder urged gun owners to be cautious, especially when family members are in the home.
"When you have a home where you have relatives, you have to be even more careful and wait that extra second and do your best to make sure you know what you're dealing with when you're about to use deadly force," he advised.
