Two residents of an Alabama independent living facility died of gunshot wounds in an apparent murder-suicide on the premises, according to authorities.
The incident occurred Monday at McMillon Estates in Birmingham. Local news outlets and The Associated Press incorrectly identified the location as an assisted living facility, a McMillon spokesman told McKnight’s.
Police were called to the building at 1:30 p.m. on Monday and engaged in an hours-long standoff with William Bell, the 75-year-old alleged shooter, according to news reports.
When police gained access to Bell’s barricaded room, they found him dead of a gunshot wound. The coroner’s office has said it was self-inflicted.
The woman Bell allegedly shot — 70-year-old Jessie Taylor — died at University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital Tuesday morning, according to officials. She and Bell may have been in a romantic relationship that ended, and some local reports suggest this motivated the crime. However, police would not comment on whether this was a motive, local Fox affiliate WBRC reported.
Authorities are investigating McMillon’s firearms policies, according to WBRC. There are “no firearms” signs posted in the building, the facility spokesman told McKnight’s.
Guns were used in several other murder-suicides at senior living facilities in the last year, including at nursing homes in San Francisco, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
