Harrison man kills wife, himself on Christmas Eve

HARRISON, Ark. (AP) - Police say they believe a 42-year-old man shot his estranged wife to death on Christmas Eve before killing himself.

Harrison Police Chief Paul Woodruff says William Fredrick and 46-year-old Sheila Fredrick were pronounced dead on Wednesday.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/1zBUrvp ) authorities believe William Fredrick kicked open a door to Sheila Fredrick’s home armed with a rifle. Woodruff says her 13-year-old son struck the gun with a baseball bat, knocking it out of William Fredrick’s hands. The gun discharged a bullet through the ceiling.

Woodruff says the boy ran to another room and locked the door. As he was climbing out a window to get help he heard two gunshots from within the house.

Sheila Fredrick was shot in the upper torso and William Fredrick was shot in the face.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.arkansasonline.com