A 76-year-old woman is accused of fatally shooting her terminally ill husband at a Florida hospital campus over the weekend.
Ellen Gilland allegedly shot and killed Jerry Gilland on Jan. 21 in the Select Medical long-term acute care facility within AdventHealth Daytona Beach (Fla.), according to a police news release posted on Facebook.
After the shooting, Ms. Gilland barricaded herself in her husband's room, and officers evacuated staff and patients around the room, police said. No one else was injured, and she was taken into custody around 3 p.m. Jan. 21 after surrendering to law enforcement.
The terminally ill man, 77, had made a plan with Ms. Gilland weeks ago to "end it" if his health continued to deteriorate, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said in a news conference, according to CNN. Police did not specify her husband's illness.
"We're unsure how she brought that gun into the hospital, but this was planned," Mr. Young said, according to NBC affiliate WESH.
According to media outlets, police said Mr. Gilland intended to do the shooting but was physically too weak, and his wife, who intended to turn the gun on herself afterward, said she "couldn't go through with it."
AdventHealth Daytona Beach is part of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth.
AdventHealth shared the following statement with Becker's: "We are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded at the AdventHealth Daytona Beach campus [Jan. 21], and our prayers are with those impacted. We are grateful for the Daytona Beach Police Department in helping ensure the safety of our patients, team members and visitors."
Volusia County, Fla., records show Ms. Gilland faces a first-degree murder charge and three counts of aggravated assault. She is being held without bond.