A Fort Bragg soldier shot dead his pregnant wife in a domestic dispute on Sunday before turning the gun on himself in front of their 3-year-old daughter, authorities said.
The Fayetteville Police Department told The Daily Beast that Staff Sgt.Keith Lewis, a 31-year-old member of the Army Special Operations Command stationed at Fort Bragg, shot and killed his 34-year-old wife, Sarah Lewis, Sunday evening. The mother of four was due to give birth to her fourth child on Christmas Day.
Lewis later died at a local hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The couple’s 3-year-old daughter, who witnessed the tragic murder-suicide, was not injured, but the unborn child, whose family said was to be called Isabella, has died.
“It’s a complete shock. It’s like a horror movie, ”Sarah Lewis aunt Tammy De Mirza told WRAL. “She had a smile that would light up the room, I can’t explain it. She was lively and fun, light-hearted and easy-going and really had a head and heart to help.
De Mirza added that the 34-year-old was in the military until she gave birth to her first child and has since become a paramedic. Keith Lewis, the aunt added, was Sarah’s second husband and had threatened her life on several occasions before. Police confirmed to the Daily Beast that officers responded to a 2016 family dispute call involving Keith, but he was never charged.
Cumberland County court records indicate Keith Lewis faced a 2016 misdemeanor charge of assault by pointing a gun charge – and his wife has been listed as the victim. The charges were dismissed at the request of the victim.
“He was obviously very upset, and there is nothing in my heart but forgiveness,” De Mirza said.
At around 7 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to reports of a shooting at the couple’s home in Fayetteville. Emilia River, a neighbor, told WRAL that she and her boyfriend heard gunshots coming from the Lewis’ home across the street.
“We heard the gunshots. Immediately [my boyfriend] was like, ‘You know someone just died. You don’t fire that many shots and try to kill someone, ”River said.
When police arrived, they found Sarah Lewis with multiple gunshot wounds.
The couple’s three-year-old daughter now lives with other family members. It was not immediately clear where the other children were staying.
“Sarah, my precious niece, I love you so much and I saw the beauty in you !!! You were more than you knew, and your murder last night will not diminish my love for you, nor identify you as a victim in my eyes, ”De Mirza wrote in a Facebook post Monday. “I’ve seen your light shine all your life, I was at the beginning.
The tragic death comes in the midst of an extremely dark year for Fort Bragg, the North Carolina military base with approximately 54,000 military personnel and 14,000 civilian employees. According to Stars and stripes, more than 30 soldiers working at Fort Bragg have died this year. Of these deaths, half are declared suicides.
Earlier this month, the military launched an investigation into the death of a Green Beret and an Army veterinarian whose bodies were found in a training area far from the military base. Authorities have so far been quiet about the causes of death, saying only it was not linked to any official training.
In May, a Fort Bragg paratrooper who went missing after camping with friends at the base was found beheaded. SPC. The partial remains of Enrique Roman-Martinez were discovered on Shackleford Banks Island. An autopsy report was based solely on the decapitated head of the 21-year-old. The case was ruled homicidal and the army is offering a reward of $ 25,000 for information.
But gruesome crimes weren’t the only scandals for Fort Bragg this year. In October, a public affairs officer apparently forgot he was logged into the base’s Twitter account when he began responding to tweets from sex workers – including one defending the pubic hair of an OnlyFans user. While the base initially claimed to have been “pirateAn investigation eventually resulted in a confession.
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