Elderly man struggling with board-and-care bills shoots his wife before turning gun on himself, police say

An 87-year-old man is believed to have shot his wife to death Wednesday morning in Arleta before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide attempt, police said.

Family members told investigators that the man was struggling with board-and-care facility bills for his wife, who had “numerous medical conditions,” said Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m., police were called to a home in the 12800 block of Wingo Street, where they found the 73-year-old woman in a wheelchair with a gunshot wound to her head.

About five feet away, her husband was lying on the couch, holding a handgun and suffering from a gunshot wound to his head.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband was rushed to a hospital for treatment. A doctor told police the man would not survive, Im said.

Authorities did not identify the couple.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

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