Columbus police kill husband after he seriously wounds wife

An East Side man late last night shot and critically wounded his wife in front of a trio of Columbus police officers before the officers turned their guns on him, killing him, police said.

Columbus police said they received calls shortly after 10 p.m. that a man was chasing and shooting at a woman as the couple ran through a neighborhood just east of Hamilton Road and south of Whitehall.

The calls eventually led police to the front yard at 4334 Britt Place.

Officers found the man on top of the woman in the yard, holding her down, said Sgt. Brent Mull, spokesman for the Columbus Division of Police.

In front of three officers, the man then shot the woman.

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The officers ordered the man to drop the gun, Mull said. When he didn’t, the officers opened fire.

A handgun was found at the man’s side.

It was unclear last night how many times he was shot.

The names of the couple and officers weren’t released last night, pending notification of family. Police said the couple were married.

A spokeswoman at Grant Medical Center said the woman was in serious condition early this morning.

Mull said the couple lived a few blocks from the yard in which they were found. No one was in the house on Britt Place at the time.

The shots drew people from their homes last night.

"It’s quiet here. Most people are in their nightclothes because most people by now are in bed," said Pearl Felty.

Felty’s friend, Lillian Webb, who also lives in the neighborhood, was in the back room of her home watching TV when she heard a single shot. She then heard a dog whining and a woman crying, "Oh no! Oh no!"

Immediately afterward, she said, she heard two more shots.

As she searched for her cell phone to call police, she said, numerous cruisers arrived.

Commentary:
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This story illustrates two important points:

1) Calling the police is not an effective means of self-defense. This woman did everything anti-self-defense advocates recommend victims do - she was unarmed; she ran away; she yelled for help; witnesses called 911. Yet she was shot by her husband in the presence of three police officers.

2) Good guys (& gals) with guns are the only to stop bad guys with guns. Trouble is, calling the good guys who are ten minutes away and waiting can be hazardous to one's health. The better choice is for YOU to be an armed good guy!

Click here to read the entire story in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).