Man, woman victims of apparent murder-suicide

GALLUP

Local police are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide that took place in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Tuesday afternoon.

The names of the man and woman whose bodies were found in the vehicle are still being withheld pending notification of next of kin but they have been described by police as an elderly couple in their 70s.

The call came into Metro Dispatch about 12:44 p.m. The caller said that he was towing a vehicle when an individual was shot.

Later, when interviewed, the caller said he saw the woman in the car shoot herself, said Gallup Police Capt. Marinda Spencer.

When police arrived, the tow car driver waved them down and police found the black SUV. There was also a dog in the vehicle that had been shot as well.

The driver was apparently in the process of repossessing the vehicle at the time of the shooting, Spencer said.

Medical personnel arrived on the scene shortly after police and could find no signs of life, Spencer said.

Police taped off a section of the parking lot. She estimated the taped off area to be about 150 feet around the vehicle. There were cars within the roped off area and owners of these vehicles were allowed into remove their vehicles during the three hours or so police were at the scene.

The bodies have been taken to Albuquerque for an autopsy and the car has been impounded for a further investigation.

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