Man fatally shoots his 81-year-old wife at a Connecticut nursing home

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — A man fatally shot his 81-year-old wife and then took his own life at a Connecticut nursing home Friday, according to a company official.

The woman, who had been a resident of Apple Rehab in Cromwell for three years, was shot in her room, said Michael Landi, vice president of operations for Apple Rehab.

The woman did not have a roommate, and no one witnessed the shooting, Landi said. No one else was hurt, he said.

Police identified the couple as Barbara Brandt and her husband, Dennis Brandt, 82.

Landi said that the motive was unclear and that there were no known threats in the past. It appeared, he said, that the husband walked in the front door, checked in with staff like other visitors do and went to his wife’s room. Staff members in the nearby lobby heard the gunshots, rushed to the room and called 911, he said.

“The staff are very shaken up. We reached out to all of them,” Landi said. “There’s a lot of emotion. There’s a lot of understanding that there’s shock and trauma.”

Counselors were brought in to help staff members and residents, he said.

Cromwell police said in a statement that they and state police were investigating, along with the medical examiner’s office.

Apple Rehab operates about 20 care centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Cromwell location where the shooting happened is home to about 75 residents and is about 13 miles (21 kilometers) south of Hartford.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.