Royce Davis Midwest City, Oklahoma man shoots wife dead after saying he could no longer take care of her after suffering from dementia for years.
An Oklahoma man has been charged with murder after fatally shooting his wife of 50 years after she’d developed dementia and he could no longer take care of her.
Royce Davis, 80, called Midwest City Police at around 3 a.m. Monday to confess to killing his wife, Dorothy, officials said. He added that he planned to shoot himself as well, WCVB reported.
Officers were dispatched to the residence, where they were able to get Davis out of the home without incident. Once inside, they discovered the victim.
Dorothy Davis, 77, was found in bed alive and breathing with a gunshot wound to the left temple. She was taken to Oklahoma University Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where she died a short time later, FOX25 reported.
Davis told dispatchers on the 911 call that his wife was suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia and that she wasn’t able to recognize him anymore, KOCO reported.
During questioning, the husband said his wife had dementia for the last several years.
‘He couldn’t take care of her any longer, and he just shot and killed her. And he was going to do the same to himself,’ Police Chief Brandon Clabes told the station. ‘Our suspect felt like this was his only option, but it wasn’t.’
Davis was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail, where he faces a first-degree murder charge.
The shooting left neighbors reeling, with one neighbor, Rick Logan saying the couple were out together frequently, and always quiet.
‘He sure seemed like a nice guy,’ Logan told the Oklahoman. ‘I couldn’t see that coming. It’s a strange one.’
Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she had known the Royces from around the time they were married. They were always friendly, and often waved at passersby.
‘We’re all just shaken and saddened,’ the woman said.
Not immediately clear is if the husband had sought outside assistance and the degree of assistance offered to him and his wife.
