It could have been a lot worse if Anna Burns didn't scream out for her two children to flea the house and save themselves, they too, would have been killed. Again and again we read these stories with the same tragic ending. Most often, in the life of a police officer when you strip him of what he loves best and knows violence erupts like a volcano in the homes of law enforcement across the country. Could something have been done by the Sheriff's Department? According to information and prior incidents of calls to the home, Yes. When you take away an officer's badge, you take away his dignity and strip him of all he knows. When that happens, the family is likely to be harmed. In some cases, officers become depressed and commit suicide.
Pima County sheriff's deputy fired from the force in February for failure to meet probationary standards shot and killed his wife…
…Anna I. Burns, 45, was shot to death after telling her two daughters to flee their home…
…As the children, one 17 and the other an adult, fled the home they heard at least two shots…
…Detectives said the couple planned to divorce but were living together while they sold their house…
…There are signs that such domestic violence can escalate to a homicide, Johnston said. If the abuser threatens to kill his partner, those threats should be taken seriously. "More so, if they are threatening suicide while engaging in domestic violence, it is very likely that he will kill his partner and their children, before taking his own life," she said…
Police say ex-sheriff's deputy killed wife, self
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.14.2006
Tucson police are investigating what they're calling a murder-suicide on the South Side.
Detectives said Eric Burns, a former Pima County Sheriff's deputy, fatally wounded his wife, Ana Irma Burns, before shooting himself early this morning in the bedroom of their home, in the 4600 block of South Paseo Rio Bravo. The house is near the Santa Cruz River and Irvington Road.
Police were called by the woman's 17-year-old daughter, who had run from the house with her adult sister when their step-father retrieved a handgun around 3 a.m., said Sgt. Decio Hopffer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. The daughters heard at least two gunshots, he said.
The man and woman were dead at the scene, he said.
Detectives said the couple planned to divorce but were living together while they sold their house.
If you are married to an officer of the law and you fear for your safety. Please contact the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 1-800-799-SAFE. Or you may contact me via my email address at kindlivingpress@aol.com and I will do what I can to provide a plan of action.
