Alabama authorities are investigating a murder-suicide after a 19-year-old husband allegedly shot his 24-year-old wife inside a hospital shortly after she gave birth, then fatally shot himself.
The Homewood Police Department said officers responded to a reported shooting at the Women's Center of Brookwood Hospital on Sunday, March 1, where they found a woman patient and a man dead from gunshot wounds. Police believe the deaths were the result of an apparent murder-suicide, and officials said no one else was injured.
Multiple outlets identified the woman as 24-year-old Precious Johnson and the man as her husband, Kynath William Terry Jr., 19. WVTM, citing the coroner's report, said Johnson had just had a baby and was shot multiple times, according to People.
The shooting happened at a hospital in Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, according to the reports. Police said the couple was the only people physically harmed in the incident.
Reports described the newborn as surviving, while investigators continued working to determine the circumstances that led up to the shooting. Authorities have not publicly detailed a motive, and the investigation remained ongoing in the days after the incident, CafeMom reported.
In interviews reported by WVTM and cited by other outlets, Terry's mother said the couple had been experiencing marital issues, though she said she did not know her son to be violent. She also told the media she was unaware he had a history that would suggest such an outcome.
The deaths have prompted renewed attention on safety at medical facilities, particularly in maternity and postpartum areas where families gather during high-stress moments. Hospital and law enforcement officials have emphasized that the incident resulted in no additional injuries beyond the two deaths, as per the New York Post.
