"He Was A Great Guy"

"CLYDE, NC — In a case acquaintances call completely inexplicable, a longtime Town of Clyde employee shot and killed his wife, then killed himself.

"Charles Palmer Jr., 48, shot his 51-year-old wife Judy several times with a handgun before turning the gun on himself, Haywood County Sheriff Bobby Suttles said.

"The incident happened at 8:45 p.m. Friday inside the couple’s home on 514 Lookout Point Road, north of Clyde, he said. The couple’s two sons, ages 20 and 17, were outside in the yard when the shootings happened.

"Suttles said there was no history of domestic problems at the home.

"`It appears to be a domestic dispute between the two, but we’ve never been out there before,` he said. `Their two sons were at the residence when it happened. It’s really terrible.`

"Palmer, who worked as maintenance supervisor, had been a town employee since 1996, Clyde Mayor Jerry Walker said.

"On his way to church today, Walker said seeing the town clock really drove home finality of the tragedy. The clock should have been set back an hour to reflect a return to standard time.

"`He would have had that clock changed,` Walker said. `It just reminded me of how Charlie was. He was a great guy.`"

Source: Citizen-Times...