An 87-year-old woman was shot to death in her Virginia home early Friday after a domestic dispute led to gunfire.
Police arrested Marilyn Sommer’s 88-year-old husband in connection with the murder. In a release on Friday night, police said their preliminary investigation found Douglas Sommer, 88, of Chantilly had fatally shot his wife inside their home.
Officials said the shooting happened after an argument broke out inside the home, located on the 13000 block of Pennypacker Lane in Chantilly, around 6 a.m.
“Officers arrived on scene and located an adult female with gunshot wounds to the upper body,” said Capt. Kent Bailey, a commander with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Public Affairs Bureau, at a news conference. “She was declared deceased at the scene.”
Bailey said there is no threat to public safety, and the shooting appears to be an isolated incident.
Sommer is currently being held without bond at a Fairfax County detention center where he was also charged with second-degree murder and weapons-related charges.
First responders were called to the scene after receiving a call by the couple’s daughter, who was inside the home when the shooting unfolded. She did not sustain any injuries.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing as detectives work to determine what the argument was about and how it led to the shooting.
Below is a map of where the shooting took place:
Police are asking anyone with information in this case to contact their Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2.
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