A Long Island man and his wife are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in their Islip home on Tuesday, authorities said.
William Clifford, 73 and his wife Eileen Clifford, 68, were found dead with gunshot wounds early on Tuesday in a quiet residential neighborhood in Islip, a Suffolk County Police Department spokesperson told the Daily News.
Officers responded to the home on Parsons Landing around 6:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported seeing a man with a gunshot wound outside the home.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they encountered a male victim who had been shot and had a gun at his feet. A second victim — later identified as Eileen Clifford — was located inside the residence. She also had a gunshot wound.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the husband likely shot his wife to death before taking his life, officials said.
Neighbors were shocked to hear the news about the couple, who according to police had been married for 20 years and had no history of domestic violence.
They described the Cliffords as a “very nice” and “friendly” couple, Suffolk County Police Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer told NBC New York, adding the neighborhood is a “tight-knit community.”
“We don’t have anything happen here,” one neighbor told News 12 Long Island, describing the area as a “very quiet sleepy little town where nothing ever happens.”
Detectives have not speculated on a possible motive for the crime.
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