Death In The Doorway

"LOS ANGELES, CA — A man apparently shot his wife to death at the door of their Gardena apartment, stepped away from her and then killed himself, police said today.

"Detectives said it appeared the husband, Won Chin, 59, committed the Wednesday night acts in the 15800 block of South Normandie Avenue because of a failing marriage.

"`She moved out fairly recently,` Gardena police Sgt. Russ Temple said. `She came over to the house that night and it looks like he met her at the door and shot her with one single gunshot wound to the head.`

"Police officers responding to the 8:35 p.m. report of gunshots found the wife lying in front of the entrance to their upstairs apartment, Gardena police Lt. Uikilifi Niko said.

"The man, identified later as Chin, was found just inside the apartment door. Temple said it appeared that Chin backed up after he shot his wife, put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger.

"Chin was unresponsive when paramedics tried to treat him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"His wife died in surgery at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

"Police today said they had not learned much about the couple's relationship and why Chin would kill her.

"`It looks like they are recently estranged, going through a divorce,` Temple said.

"The wife's name was not released pending notification of her relatives."

From the Contra Costa Times...