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Husband fatally shoots his wife before killing himself in Maryland Husband, wife found fatally shot in Damascus on Christmas morning
(about 7 hours later)
An 84-year-old man shot and killed his wife before taking his own life on Christmas Day at their home in Damascus, Md., authorities said. On Christmas Eve, nothing seemed amiss with Bruce and Deborah Tucker.
The incident unfolded around 7:52 a.m. at a home in the 28900 block of Kemptown Road near Clarksburg Road, according to Montgomery County Police. The Damascus couple enjoyed a pleasant dinner with relatives at her brother’s house.
Officials said they received a 911 call from a family member who had gotten a call from Bruce Tucker, according to a police statement. Tucker told the relative that he had “just shot his wife” and “he was going to shoot himself as well,” the statement said. “They seemed happy to me,” said Deborah’s brother, Darrell Russ.
When officers arrived they tried repeatedly to make contact with the couple. Officials said that when officers went into the home they found the couple with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. By Christmas morning, they were both dead.
Tucker's wife was identified as Deborah Tucker, 54. Montgomery County police said they were called to the couple’s home in the 28900 block of Kemptown Road just before 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Minutes earlier, a relative had called 911 to report Bruce had phoned saying he “just shot his wife” and “he was going to shoot himself as well.”
When officers arrived, they tried repeatedly to make contact with the couple. They got no response. Upon entering, they found Bruce, 84, and Deborah, 54, both dead from gunshot wounds.
Family members were struggling to understand what had happened between them.
They had both been previously married. Despite the large age gap, Russ said, “I swear she loved him and he loved her.”
Their palatial home near Clarksburg Road is also advertised as Valhalla Manor, a 50-acre wedding venue that Deborah ran.
“The countryside estate,” the venue’s website says, “is capable of accommodating the most intimate gatherings to elegant receptions.”
Russ said Deborah had “a rough life that wasn’t easy.”
Her son, Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins Jr., died in 2006 while fighting in Iraq. The Marine had played football at Catoctin High School and excelled in history.
“When I got the news that he was going to Iraq, I was proud for him, because that’s what he wanted to do, because he was proud of his country,” Higgins’ brother, Joseph Higgins, told the Baltimore Sun.
Deborah also had financial problems, Russ said. Public records showed she had been sued numerous times by companies pursuing unpaid bills. She had filed for bankruptcy several times, most recently in 2015.
Relatives of Bruce Tucker did not return calls for comment.
Authorities said the incident, which they are calling a domestic-related homicide, remains under investigation.Authorities said the incident, which they are calling a domestic-related homicide, remains under investigation.
The D.C. region has seen more than 280 homicides so far this year, according to tracking by The Washington Post. Of those, 14 have been in Montgomery County, including Wednesday’s homicide. “I didn’t see this coming,” Russ said. “I don’t care what happened between them — you don’t kill somebody.”
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