NEW ORLEANS -- A 57-year-old New Orleans man was accidentally shot and fatally injured by his wife who mistook him for an intruder, police said Monday.
The shooting occurred about 11 a.m. Monday (noon ET) in the 5800 block of North Claiborne Ave. in the Lower 9th Ward.
Police said the man, named by the Times Picayune newspaper as Charles Williams, died at the hospital.
No charges were immediately filed in the investigation.
The newspaper said the man's 53-year-old wife was not arrested.
More on this story from NBC affiliate WDSU 6 New Orleans
The Times Picayune reported that the Orleans Parish district attorney's office is expected to review the case, quoting a news release from a police spokesman, officer Garry Flot.
Williams' daughter said the family was too upset to talk about what happened, the newspaper reported.
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IF ( big IF !! ) her story is true, then she violated one of the cardinal rules of safe firearm handling -
always be sure of your target and what is behind it.
I always have a tactical flashlight next to my gun in case I have to use it at night.
Lower 9th ward of NOLA - maybe asking too much or maybe she finally killed the bastard after years of abuse.
Yep- another case for having a gun around. I know us bleeding heart liberals always go there. But check the statistics- more people shoot family and friends than intruders.
Bob - I am a member of the NRA, in fact I was a member years prior to owning any guns at all. I told my husband that before I would allow a gun in the house that I wanted to take lessons, which I did. I now own a .22 Sig Sauer and a .20 gauge Remington shotgun both of which stay in a locked gun safe.
I don't smoke and I don't like cig smoke, so because I don't like it should I demand that cigs be banned? Second hand smoke kills just as much as smoking does.
On the outside... Upset, On the inside... Cheating bastard!
If these incidents were more widely reported perhaps we would have more rational discussions about guns and what to do about them.
I was a NRA member for years and dropped out when they started pushing for outrageous weaponry for any citizen. When I heard support for 300 round per minute weapons "for self-protection" what went through my head was, "If you need 300 rounds a minute to save your sorry butt maybe it don't deserve saving."
When I hear one of the guys I know talking about needing guns to protect himelf and his family what impresses me most is that 9 times out of ten that guy has little or no formal training, and often his informal training involved cases of beer and fifths of bourbon. After dealing with bullet riddled bodies and spending days with folks with arms and legs shot off I have a healthy respect for guns and know that most the turkeys out there should not be trusted with one.
Face it 2nd Amendment supporters, do you really trust that jerk in the 1972 Buick that cut you off on the highway? Think that idiot that clipped your mirror should be carrying? What about the punk with the rainbow mohawk and six piercings in his face? If you really think they should be carrying then you better be buying bullet proof vests.
Training is what is needed. And annual re-certification as well.
dennis do you think 8yrs in the USMC,having qualified with both rifles and pistols,and teaching small arms at mct gives me enough "qualifications" for you or do you think i got to be more "qualified" to own a firearm? i really think before you express your opinion.pleease do me a favor a$$clown don't use you 1st admendment right to try and restrict my 2nd admendment rights!!!
My vote is Luther was in the back bedroom and papa came home early.
Oh so you want to increase gun laws??? Please tell me all about how criminals follow the law!!! Morons! Guns don't kill people, people kill people! FLippin tree hugger probably disagree with hunting too!
shaneal, stop with the tired old arguments. PEOPLE WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE! Duh.
MAke people go through a class before they buy a gun, but taking them completely is not right, its punishes everyone, even those who do follow laws and are responsible gun owners. I own two rifles that are locked up in my room and registered too me. I use them for hunting only. Should they be taken from me because of other peoples stupidity?
Making her take a class on gun safety would not have prevented this from happening. The only thing that would have prevented it would have been if she didn't have a gun.
There are many people suggesting that gun safety classes are the answer to gun violence. Unfortunately that is a naive and very stupid claim.
And how is taking a gun class being stupid? Unfortunately, you all have convicted this poor woman even before she is charged with a crime! Remember, innocent until proven guilty, most of you want to hang this poor woman before she even gets a trial, if it goes that far. I for one will give her the benefit of the doubt.
Really? Cause had she taken gun safety, and passed, she would know you NEVER pull the trigger without knowing what you are shooting at, and tell me why she had a gun out in the open close enough to get to that quickly. I don't claim to use mine for protection although we do a own a couple of pistols we carry when hunting for that reason. I'm sorry but common sence isn't very common. Again, should we all be punished because of morons. Stupid crap happen regardless of guns being involved or not. And gun laws are not going to prevent people who really want a gun from having them. That is a naive thought as well. Lets just keep passing more laws and see how far we get. Maybe we should ban spoons and forks as well to prevent fat people!
Sheryl, safety classes are important. My point is that a class in gun safety would not have enabled this woman from shooting her husband. Furthermore, gun safety classes would not have prevented the mass shootings in Aurora, Milwaukee, or any other place for that matter.
shaneal, don't embarrass yourself with such stupid analogies. Forks and spoons? Fat people? Get real, pal.
Both sides of this argument are really old.
Constitution ain't going away, so guns are legal.
Criminals ain't going away, so neither will crime.
Accidents happen.
Common sense ain't so common anymore.
People like to piss, moan and argue.
NEVER piss off someone carrying a gun or driving a car.
Niether side will ever convince the other, just say mean things back and forth.
What weapons I own are for you to find out....if you break in my house.
I've run out of 'accident' scenarios....but I'm still bored.
Guns are great for self defense. Nothing bad could ever happen to the owners.
And your point is or are you just rambling?
I can see how this could happen. It has happened many times before. My neighbor gets very, very nervous when she is home alone. Every little noise sets her off. There was one time the screen door wasn't closed all the way and the wind caught it and it banged against the threshold. She thought for sure someone had entered the house (even though we live in a very safe neighborhood out in the country, and she didn't think about why an intruder would allow the door to bang loudly behind him). She told how she ran for one of her husband's guns and was walking around the house with it searching for the intruder. She laughs about it now . . . but all of us other neighbors know if we go over there when her husband isn't at home and she isn't expecting us to shout out "Hey, it's me" as we approach the house. It is really more of a joke now, but the reality is still there that she can overreact. That is when tragedy can strike.
Hopefully the investigators will be able to make a good determination about this incident.
Got to like the NRA for helping another homicide go down. To bad this didn't happen in Floriduh, where its known as a Cuban divorce, except its usually the husband killing the wife, especially in Hialeah.
Oh that's right blame the NRA for this......it's always someone elses fault with you libs isn't it.....following in the footsteps of your "messiah" eh?
How is the NRA at fault? Look at Chicago and New York they have a gun ban but the criminals still have guns so no gun ban is going to stop criminals it just makes their job easier
A better article would have explained why she thought the husband was an intruder. I'm just sayin'.
I cannot think of a situation where the shooting is justified. What if it wasn't her husband?
so Brad if it WAS an intruder she should have just let them come on in? What are the chances that she could have been raped and murdered?
sheryl, it's clear to me that you can't even to begin the other side of this argument. Your myopia is cheating you out of a MEANINGFUL argument.
No Jack you are wrong....just about everyone here that has posted has already convicted this poor woman before she has even been charged or had a trial. It's a tragedy that this happened I'm just giving this woman the benefit of doubt that she is innocent.....you do remember "innocent until proven guilty"?
None of us were there so don't go throwing stones at her until the authorities have had time to investigate the shooting.
Sheryl, most of us are convicting this woman as you say because the circumstances of this shooting are questionable. The shooting happened at 11:00 in the morning. If it had been at night when it was dark in the house it would be believable that she didn't recognize her husband. But this was broad daylight and most of us are intelligent enought to know that in the light of day you should be able to recognize your own spouse. There is obviously more to this story than has come out so far. I'm just sorry that you aren't smart enough to see that and feel the need to rip into those of us who do.
I will totally give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she thought it was an intruder. However, if you're going to shoot someone, thinking isn't good enough. You darn well better KNOW. She's guilty of manslaughter unless her husband threatened her in some way.
Our you kidding me. It was 11AM not 11PM. Maybe she is nocturnal
What if she works the night shift? Have any of you been woke up from a deep sleep suddenly? Maybe crime is/was running rampant in her city?
Unfortuately, training will not increase IQ, decrease mental illness or give people the desire and ability to control their temper.
I cannot understand how she mistook her own husband for a burglar at 11 AM (that is in the morning and it is day light at that time).
this happened at 11 AM which means it was light outside.. broad daylight. So what was she blind? It has to be suspicious when someone says they thought it was an intruder when you can see and hear your husband.
As for all you anti gun people don't jump so fast to denigrate gun ownership, this is basically an unsolved case of is it murder or a mistake.
If a man shot his wife by mistake he would be found guilty by the press and already arrested by the cops. Equality huh?
While everyone is noting this incident happened at 11AM... IN THE MORNING!!!
Has anyone considered that she might in fact have been working the "graveyard" tour somewhere? You know the midnight to 8am shift? Took some time to get home... say a half hour.. getting close to 9am now. Grab a bite and maybe a shower before hitting the sack. Maybe 9:45 or 10am.. and lights out.
Oh.. and before you say... BUT IT'S DAYLIGHT OUT....
I've worked those hours. To sleep, I put up new BLACKOUT curtains... My bedroom was as dark as a dark room. You couldn't see a foot in front of you. Hell, you could barely make out your hand if your held it up in front of your face.
So, yes, she may well have been awakened and in a dark room. Believing hubby was at work... thought process says intruder.
I'll prefer to wait until an official investigation is completed before I join the crowd with rumor, conjecture, speculation, innuendo, hyperbole and outright fallacies or fantasies.
A 57-year-old New Orleans man was accidentally shot and fatally injured by his wife who mistook him for an intruder, police said Monday. The shooting occurred about 11 a.m. Monday (noon ET)
I am no detective but, how many people could say that can't recognize family members in mid-daylight. I don't think we have enough of the details. It makes you wonder why they aren't digging into more questions about this shooting. They just are accepting her explanation without an interrogation into his wife's explanation?
Reading isn't a strong point is it?
Quoted from the article... which really isn't all that long to begin with.
Yep just ask Romney/Ryan, "we need a gun in every house" like this....
Sorry but calling bull chit on this story. These cops must be morons. This woman kills her husband and the cops give this biatch a pat on the back. If the man had shot his wife, he would have died in a shootout with police while in custody. It’s pathetic and disgusting.
Yes afraid for her life at 11:00 in the morning or noon eastern time. LOL what a fricking joke! Why bother to rebuild New Orleans, next time let them drown.
TO LIBERAL SCUM, the NRA would say CHARGE her as there is no excuse for trying to kill someone or something when you don't even know what it is
Oh, and IGNORANT BLACK monkeys too no doubt
Now if the man was armed none of this would of ever happened. He could of defended himself. *Snicker*
Bang - Gotcha - Ooopssss.