TORONTO - A city man's condition was unknown this morning after being shot by his wife, who later turned the gun on herself and died Monday.
Terry Dear, 26 of 1320 Kennelworth Ave. was flown by medical helicopter to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the back after City Police answered a call from Jefferson County 911 of a domestic dispute at the residence, according to City Police Chief Randy Henry.
Also, his wife, Martha Dear, 24, of the same address, died Monday of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest after shooting her husband, said Henry.
"The call came in at 12:35 p.m.," said Henry, adding police tried to enter the residence through the front. "We got a call from 911 the male had been shot in the back by his wife. She then fled the scene."
Police arrived to find the victim with "a hole in his back where he'd been shot, along with their two small children standing there."
According to Henry, police issued an all-points bulletin for the woman and a description of the vehicle she was driving to neighboring municipalities.
"She fled the scene, and we notified (neighboring) agencies," continued Henry. "She was considered armed and dangerous. We knew it wasn't good because she fled the scene and left her children there."
Henry said at 1:48 p.m. Mingo Junction Police spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull the driver over, according to Henry.
Mingo Junction Police Chief Steve Maguschak said he was patrolling the Hillsboro area when he saw the vehicle on Longview Avenue. He said he positively identified the car's license plate and attempted a traffic stop.
Maguschak said he got out of his cruiser and was almost at the front of his cruiser when the car started to drift forward.
Maguschak said he didn't hear the shot fired from inside the vehicle.
The car rolled onto Carlisle Avenue and across the front yard of the house, he said.
He said Martha Dear was dead at the scene.
Henry said the man suffered "significant injuries," but his condition wasn't known. Henry said the incident was especially disturbing because the two children witnessed the shooting.
"The little girl told us, 'Mommy shot daddy,'" he said. "(Jefferson County) Children Services was called. The father's mother has taken custody of the children."
Henry said he wasn't sure what the couple were arguing about. He added the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation also were involved. The incident still is under investigation, he added.
