OCSO: 80-year-old man kills wife, wounds self at Alzheimer's Center

Updated at 11:55 a.m.

According to a press release from Onslow County Sheriff's Department, it appears that Curtiss Hargrove left final instructions for family members "on what they should do after this situation."

An 80-year-old Maysville man accused of killing his elderly wife and then wounding himself Tuesday night at a Jacksonville Alzheimer’s care facility remains in critical condition with a do not resuscitate order, authorities said.

Curtiss J.  Hargrove, who is being treated at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, has a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the right side of his head. He shot his wife, 80-year-old Harriett Hargrove, twice in the head in her room at the Alzheimer’s Related Care Community on Onslow Pines Road, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.

A headline in today’s print edition of The Daily News incorrectly states Hargrove’s condition.

Authorities are searching for answers after an 80-year-old Maysville man who seemed devoted to his wife allegedly shot her to death in an Alzheimer’s care facility then turned the gun on himself Tuesday night.

According to the Onslow County Sheriff's Department, deputies, investigators and CSI were dispatched at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to the Alzheimer’s Related Care Community on Onslow Pines Road in Jacksonville to investigate a murder and attempted suicide.

Onslow County Detective Capt. Donnie Worrell said that when authorities arrived, they found an 80-year-old woman, Harriett Hargrove, in her room, shot twice in the head. In the room with her was her husband, Curtiss J.  Hargrove, also 80, of Deppe Road in Maysville, who had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the right side of his head, according to Worrell.

The woman was dead at the scene, Worrell said; and her husband, still breathing but unresponsive, was life-flighted to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, where he remains in critical condition on life support.

The Sheriff’s Department recovered at the center a small caliber handgun believed to be the weapon used in the crime.

Staff with the Alzheimer’s Related Care Community said the facility was 100-percent secured and can only be entered or exited with assistance from staff.

“The shooting of our resident by her husband was totally unexpected,” staff said in a prepared statement released to media. “Over the course of her stay with us, our staff was very observant of devotion between husband and wife.”

The woman became a patient at the center in mid-January, according to the release. Her husband visited her daily.

Worrell said there were many signs of the couple’s love for each other.

“He’d come out there religiously,” he said. “People at the facility referred to them as the cute little old couple.”

A woman who answered the phone at the couples’ residence and identified herself as their daughter declined to comment on the incident.

Worrell said the District Attorney’s office has been advised of the incident but further action will depend on the condition of the husband.

Releases from the care center suggested the woman’s disease may have been an aggravating factor.

“Alzheimer’s disease is a very debilitating disease and can be stressful and frustrating to the resident as well as their family members,” staff said in a statement. “The ARC has an excellent reputation in the Alzheimer’s Community, and we will continue to ensure the safety and care for our residents.”

Authorities recovered a small caliber handgun at the Alzheimer's Related Care Community believed to have been the weapon used in the shooting, according to a press release from the Onslow County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities have identified the man and woman involved in a shooting at the Alzheimer's Related Care Community Tuesday night.

Harriett Hargrove, 80, died at the scene, said Sheriff Ed Brown. Curtiss Hargrove, 80, is currently in critical condition. The couple is from Maysville.

Staff with the Alzheimer's Related Care Community said the facility was 100 percent secured and can only be entered or exited with assistance from staff.

"The shooting of our resident by her husband was totally unexpected," staff said in a prepared statement released to media. "Over the course of her stay with us, our staff was very observant of devotion between husband and wife."

Names of those involved have not yet been released.

Stay with jdnews.com for more on this developing story.

According to the Onslow County Sheriff's Department, at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, deputies, investigators and CSI of were dispatched to the center to investigate a murder and attempted suicide.

The 80-year-old woman was found dead from gunshot wounds to the head and her husband, also 80, was also found with a gunshot wound to the head, according to a press release from the department. The man was still breathing but unresponsive.

The woman became a patient at the center in mid-January, according to the release. Her husband visited her daily.

Posted at 10:37 a.m.

A shooting at the Alzheimer's Related Care center on Onslow Pines Road has left one person dead and another hospitalized, authorities said.

According to law enforcement, an 80-year-old man shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself. He is in New Hanover Regional Medical Center in critical condition, according to authorities.

Further information is not yet available. Stay with jdnews.com for more on this developing story.