Details released in Tinker deaths

A woman barely escaped from her ex-husband's Tinker Air Force Base home Monday before he killed their two children and himself, authorities said Tuesday.

Tuesday, February 26th 2008, 5:52 pm

By: News 9


By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

A woman barely escaped from her ex-husband's Tinker Air Force Base home Monday before he killed their two children and himself, authorities said Tuesday.

More details were released Tuesday afternoon in the double murder-suicide, however, the victims' names were not released pending notification of relatives. The children, ages 9 and 4, were both shot multiple times.

The 35-year-old man and his wife had recently divorced, Sheriff John Whetsel said.

"There has been a history within the family of domestic issues," the sheriff said during a press conference.

The ex-wife was visiting the home at about 2:30 p.m. Monday to pick up a child as part of the couple's custody agreement. The back door was barricaded and the front door was rigged so that once it closed it could not be opened, Whetsel said.

The man used a stun-gun on his wife and then pulled out a gun. The wife ran and managed to escape the house because the front door was still open, Whetsel said.

While she was going to a neighbor's to call for help, she heard gun shots from the house. Whetsel said the man fired five rounds into his 9-year-old daughter and two into his 4-year-old son, according to preliminary autopsy reports. The man then shot himself, Whetsel said.

Tinker Security forces were told about a hostage situation in the housing area. They contacted the sheriff's office who also headed out. About two hours later, at 4:30, the tactical team went in. In the meantime, the base was locked down.

A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday. Officials said they expect to release the victim's names then.

NEWS 9 obtained court documents regarding the couple's divorce. Names in the documents were withheld pending the official release of the victims' names. Download the PDF here.

Story and video from Monday: 3 dead in possible murder-suicide at Tinker AFB

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