"A Real Nice Couple"

"PIERCE COUNTY, WA - An East Pierce County man apparently shot and killed his live-in girlfriend inside the couple’s Summit-area home early Saturday, then turned the gun on himself, police said.

"`We’re still investigating it, but at this point it appears to be a murder-suicide,` Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

"The couple’s 1-year-old son was at his grandparents’ house at the time of the shooting, Troyer said.

"The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has not formally released the names of the dead.

"Neighbors described the man, a 26-year-old corrections officer, and the woman, a 29-year-old real estate agent, as friendly and family-oriented.

"`They were a real nice couple,` said neighbor Maria Runnels. `They seemed to get along and were planning to have another kid. At least, they were talking about it.`"

From The News Tribune...