A woman fatally shoots her terminally ill husband at a Florida hospital. She agreed with him to commit suicide later but she did not dare

By Minyvonne Burke -

A 76-year-old woman was arrested this Saturday accused of shooting and killing her terminally ill husband at a Daytona Beach (Florida) hospital, after reaching an agreement with him several weeks ago to end his life and then commit suicide, according to the police.

Officers responded to AdventHealth Hospital in Daytona Beach after receiving a call for a person with a gunshot wound, the police department said in a press release on Twitter.

When police arrived, they found Ellen Gilland barricaded in a room on the 11th floor of her husband, Jerry Gilland.

They used a ruse to distract her "and get her to lower her gun long enough to hit her with a non-lethal weapon," Daytona Police Chief Jakari Young said at a news conference.

She was taken into custody and faces a first degree murder charge.

The woman told police that because of her husband's health problems, they had a discussion about three weeks ago and decided that if he "kept getting worse [the man] wanted her to get it over with," Young said.

AdventHealth Daytona Beach Hospital.Google maps

"I think the plan was a murder-suicide, she killed him and then she was going to turn the gun on her, but she decided she couldn't do it," the police chief told reporters.

Young said that, according to the woman, the man knew that the shooting would take place this Saturday.

Staff and patients from the surrounding rooms on the 11th floor, reserved for hospice patients, were evacuated during the incident.

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“It was a logistical nightmare, so I am very proud of my team,” he declared.

"Virtually all the patients on that floor are on ventilators, so they didn't have space to evacuate the entire floor, so they moved patients out of rooms where they were most at risk," he added.

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Young called the incident "tragic" and urged anyone in distress to seek help.

“This proves that none of us is immune to the trials and tribulations of life,” the officer added.

 If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit