A South Carolina man was charged with murder after calling law enforcement officers and telling them he had shot and killed his wife, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Fred Falls, a 61-year-old Sumter resident, was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Tuesday.
Around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Falls called Sumter County dispatch and said he had shot his wife the night before, according to the release.
The first deputy to arrive at the home on North Saint Paul Church Road found Falls sitting on the porch and held him at gunpoint until more deputies showed up and then Falls was arrested, the sheriff’s office said.
Officers found the victim in the home, according to the press release. She lay “motionless on the ground” after suffering a fatal gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
Officers recovered evidence, including a spent shell casing and two firearms, and investigators are trying to determine if one of the weapons was the weapon used, the release said.
Despite Falls’ arrest and confession, the death remains under investigation. Deputies said they are trying to determine a motive for the shooting, which they called an isolated incident, adding that Falls has no prior criminal record.
Falls was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he remains behind bars after his bond was denied, the sheriff’s office said.
