Wife Shot by Spouse, Police Say : Violence: Dinna Gasamian is on life support. She and her husband had recently reunited after being estranged.

A woman who recently reunited with her estranged husband was being kept alive with the help of medical equipment Thursday after being shot in the head by her spouse, Los Angeles police said.

Sgt. Brett Papworth of the Van Nuys Division said Dinna Gasamian, 38, was shot just before midnight Wednesday inside the house she shares with her husband and two of her three children in the 14600 block of Haynes Street.

“I was watching television when I heard all the screaming,” said Sergey Kuyumchyan, who lives in an apartment in the back of the house. “I then went inside and walked by her body.”

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The woman’s husband, Sarkis Sarkisian, 40, was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder, Lt. Terry Pratt said. His wife, who was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, has been declared brain dead.

Though neighbors described Sarkisian as soft-spoken, they frequently heard the couple arguing late into the night. Kuyumchyan said Sarkisian had moved out of the house, which is directly across from Van Nuys High School, but moved back in just a few months ago, when the couple decided to reconcile.

Next-door neighbor Sharon Dale said she hopped out of bed when she heard Sarkisian frantically screaming into his telephone.

“He was telling police that he had accidentally shot his wife in the back of the head,” she said.

Pratt said Gasamian was found on the floor of the living room. Sarkisian told officers that he grabbed his gun after hearing a noise outside the house, but the gun went off, hitting his wife, Pratt said.

But neighbors told investigators they heard the couple arguing moments before the gunshot, Pratt said. “The signs at the scene did not indicate an accident,” he added.

Dale said the husband was quiet after the shooting and cooperated as police dragged “him off in his pajamas.”

The couple lived with their two sons, ages 19 and 8. The younger boy was home at the time of the shooting and is staying with relatives. A 21-year-old daughter lives elsewhere.

The couple reportedly immigrated to the San Fernando Valley from Yerevan, Armenia, seven years ago, according to Armenian friends.

While Gasamian was studying to improve her English and taking other classes, her husband supported the family with his plumbing business.

“It was such a shock,” said Dale. “[Sarkis] was so mild-mannered and calm, while she was so high-strung.”

Kuyumchyan said his family sometimes barbecued or watched television with the couple. The loss of his friends has left him reeling.

“It was bad,” Kuyumchyan said. “You live with a family and then all of a sudden, they are gone.”