Police Say Man Fatally Shot Ill Wife, Then Self

An 87-year-old Van Nuys man, apparently distraught over his wife’s debilitating illnesses, shot her to death and then killed himself Saturday, police said.

Police found Gerald Kahn lying on the sidewalk of the 18200 block of Sylvan Street about 12:50 p.m., a gunshot to his temple and a pistol in his hand. The body of his wife, Rose, also 87, was slumped in the front seat of their Toyota Camry. She was shot twice in the head, police said.

Kahn had picked up his wife for a visit at R & R Home Care Enterprises--a board and care home for the elderly--minutes before the shooting, said Det. Rick Swanston of the LAPD’s West Valley Station. The couple’s car was parked just feet away from the board and care facility at the time of the shooting, Swanston said.

Rose Kahn was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Her husband was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he died several hours later, police said.

Neighbors told police that they believed Gerald Kahn was upset over his wife’s illness.

Rose Kahn, who was suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other ailments, was admitted to the facility in December 1995, police said. Her condition had deteriorated in recent weeks, according to reports.

The couple had been married more than 40 years, neighbors told police. In the 1950s they moved into their home on the 16400 block of Kittridge Street in Van Nuys, near the Van Nuys Golf Course where Gerald Kahn worked as a starter until retiring 20 years ago.

Police found a brief suicide note in the couple’s home. In the note, Gerald Kahn said he planned to take his life and instructed whoever found the note to notify relatives on the East Coast, police said. The couple had no children.