Fort Bragg soldier shot dead pregnant wife in front of daughter, 3, before killing himself, suffered from PTSD
FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: A heavily pregnant woman who was due to give birth on Christmas was allegedly shot dead by her Fort Bragg soldier husband, who also killed himself in the incident. The alleged murder-suicide happened in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Sunday night, December 20, when Sergeant Keith Lewis -- a member of the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg -- murdered wife Sarah Lewis before turning the gun on himself. Police said the 31-year-old was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he allegedly carried out the crime in front of his three-year-old daughter. His 34-year-old wife was soon taken to a Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, but she and the unborn baby couldn’t survive. The pair’s little daughter did not suffer any harm during the incident and is staying with other relatives, The Daily Mail reported.
A neighbor of the family, identified as Emilia Rivera, who heard the sounds of the bullets on the day of the alleged murder-suicide said, “We heard the gunshots. Immediately [my boyfriend] was like, ‘You know someone just died. You don't shoot that many gunshots and not try to kill somebody’”. While another person, who chose to remain anonymous, said he witnessed Keith shooting nearly “20 rounds” from an “automatic weapon”. The person also said that the man was alive when the police reached the address. "When the police came, they were talking to him for about 15 minutes," they recalled. It has also been said that officers responding to the scene tried to make Keith surrender, but they failed to do so.
Describing the whole incident as a “horror movie”, Sarah's aunt Tammy De Mirza, said, “I love her, and I refuse [for] the memory of her to be a victim. I'm not going to let her death be in vain.” The aunt also revealed that Keith had post-traumatic stress disorder and threatened Sarah earlier too. Sergeant Jeremy Glass said that in 2016 too, cops responded to a domestic incident at the couple’s home, but at the time no charges were brought against anyone. “This guy had PTSD. This happened two-and-a-half years ago, -- the exact same scenario. From what I understand, he drank, and when he drank, he lost it. He was obviously very troubled, and there is nothing in my heart but forgiveness,” De Mirza added.
Reports said that Sarah, mother-of-three, was a paramedic for Harnett County Emergency Services. In a statement, the agency said, “Sarah had an infectious smile and was a light everywhere she went. Please keep her daughters and family in your thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time.” Lt. Col. Mark Finnegan, 98th Civil Affairs battalion commander, also commented on the tragedy. “We are profoundly saddened at the tragic passing of Staff Sgt. and Mrs. Lewis. Our soldiers and families are the bedrock of our unit and any loss deeply affects our formations. We are working to provide the utmost support to the family and our team,” Finnegan added.
In another incident, a man in Kentucky gunned down his wife and two sons before killing himself. Ashley Milliken, 13-year-old Kjae Milliken, and eight-year-old Kycohn Millken were murdered by Kyle Milliken on Sunday, December 20, before he took his life too. The alleged reason behind the murder-suicide was Ashley and Kyle’s bitter relationship.